Omar Abdullah Thanks Amit Shah As Tourist Sites Are Reopened In J&K

A day after Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered reopening of 14 tourist spots closed after Pahalgam terrorist attack last year, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah thanked Home Minister Amit Shah for the decision.

The Chief Minister said he had recently raised the issue with the Home Minister and got an assurance that these tourist sites will be thrown open and now the orders have been issued.

"I'm thankful to the Home Minister for reopening these tourist places. Recently, I spoke to Home Minister in Jammu and before that I met him in Delhi as well. I was assured by the Home Minister that these tourist spots will be thrown open and orders for the same have now been issued," said Abdullah.

After the repeal of Article 370 and downgrading Jammu and Kashmir state into a Union territory, law and order and police are under the central government. The elected government has no authority over the matters related to security. After Pahalgam terrorist attack in April, the Lieutenant Governor administration decided to close 48 tourist sites in Jammu and Kashmir.

Since then, the J&K government has been demanding reopening of all the sites for tourism revival in Kashmir.

The Chief Minister said the closure of tourist sites for the last 10 months didn't serve any purpose. He said even during worst militancy period in Kashmir, the elected government didn't close tourist places.

The local people, said the Chief Minister, have borne the brunt and suffered loses due to closure of these tourists places.

On Monday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered the immediate reopening of 14 major tourist destinations.

The decision follows a comprehensive security review and discussion, with Sinha confirming that the sites are to be thrown open to both tourists and locals with immediate effect.

"After a thorough security review and discussion, I've ordered reopening of more tourist spots in Kashmir and Jammu Divisions, which were temporarily closed as precautionary measures," the Lieutenant Governor said.

This move marks a significant step in restoring normalcy to the region's tourism sector, which has been under heavy restriction since April last year.

The latest reopening brings the total number of restored sites to 42 out of the 48 destinations that were closed as a precautionary measure. These closures were triggered by the tragic events of April 22, when terrorists killed 26 civilians, 25 of whom were tourists.

The attack led to a mass exodus of visitors from the Valley, causing massive economic disruption and widespread job losses for thousands of families whose livelihoods depend on the tourism industry.

While the government had previously attempted a phased recovery, reopening 16 sites in June and another 12 in September, initial efforts failed to attract significant numbers of visitors.

However, the heavy snowfall in December proved to be a turning point for the sector. Officials report that January saw over one lakh tourists visiting the Valley, signalling the first real sign of a revival after months of severe downturn.

Among the high-profile destinations now cleared for visitors are Doodhpathri, Kokernag, Pir Ki Gali, and Srinagar's famous Tulip Garden, which is recognised as the largest of its kind in Asia.

Lieutenant Governor Sinha emphasised that while the sites were temporarily closed as a precautionary measure, the current security audit suggests that the situation is stable enough to welcome travellers back to these iconic locations.