Srinagar, July 17 -- Leading this action is Tariq Hussain Naik, the JKAS officer at the helm of the GDA. For him, this isn't just an anti-encroachment drive.

"It's a turning point," he says. "Encroachment is an environmental theft. Every inch of land taken without approval erodes the future of Gulmarg."

With over 1.5 million visitors each year and 15,000 on peak days, the pressure on Gulmarg's ecosystem is enormous.

For years, lax regulation and unchecked expansion chipped away at its balance. Now, Naik is reimagining how high-altitude tourism should work in Kashmir.

Under his watch, the focus has shifted from footfall to foresight: geotagging tourists, zoning the recreation core, regulating guides, enforcing construction norms, and r...