Omar calls meet of ministers, all senior officials on May 28
Srinagar, May 26 -- Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has called a "major" meeting of all ministers, administrative secretaries, Kashmir divisional commissioner, directors of various departments and senior police officers from the Valley, on May 28 in Gulmarg.
Though no agenda for the meeting has been distributed, it assumes significance as it comes almost a month after the Pahalgam attack and the subsequent India-Pakistan confrontation, and at a time when the region's tourism sector is in shambles and development works are stalled. The notice issued by the general administration department reads, "The chief minister shall chair a meeting on May 28 at 12 pm in Gulmarg."
Gulmarg, one of the major tourist destinations of Kashmir, has seen tourists trickling in despite a downfall of tourism after the April 22 Pahalgam attack hat claimed 26 lives, 25 tourists and a local.
Omar, who also holds the tourism portfolio, has so far maintained that the government will "wait and watch" for the situation to improve before ramping up efforts to revive the tourism sector.
"Tourism has been hit. But for now, we are not doing anything regarding its revival. Let the situation improve first and after that, we will sit with the stakeholders to chalk out a strategy for the sector's revival," Omar told reporters in Ganderbal on May 20.
Others who have been called to the meeting include directors of Kashmir tourism, Kashmir rural development, floriculture, sericulture, social welfare, industries and commerce and information departments; J&K Power Development Corporation Limited managing director (MD); Baramulla deputy commissioner; J&K tourism development corporation MD, North Kashmir range deputy inspector general (DIG); J&K Cable Car Corporation MD; and Gulmarg Tourism Development Authority chief executive officer.
Expectations are that the CM will take up a road map for the revival of tourism and overall economic growth and development.
Kashmir saw an exodus of tourists immediately after the Pahalgam attack. This came after three consecutive years of record-breaking tourist arrivals....
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