J&K sets aside 16,000 sq km of land under protected area for dev of eco-tourism

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sept 23: J&K government has identified around 16,000 sq km of land under Protected Area Network (PAN) for the eco-tourism development plan.

According to the officials, this includes five national parks and 14 wildlife sanctuaries and 35 conservation reserves across the state.

Sources said that a detailed plan is being sent to the Union Tourism Ministry for 
the approval and funds so that the work on development of infrastructure is started.

The earlier survey conducted by Jungle Lodges and Resorts, a Karnataka based 
company was rejected by the central government forcing the J&K to again sent the 
new proposal. The central government has asked the state to submit site specific 
proposals, as per the guidelines of the ministry.

“We have notified the area and a detailed report is being sent to the centre so that necessary clearance is given to it”, said a official.

If the plan is accepted facilities such as construction of huts, nature trails, treks, view points, safari drive and nature interpretation centre will be created in the identified areas.

“The survey in the Kashmir valley and Jammu has been completed while in Ladhak it is under way. By next year we in association with the tourism department we hope to throw the jungle for the adventure seekers”, sources said.

Officials said that the identified areas include, Dachigam, Gulmarg, Thajwas 
reserve and Aru in Kashmir and Nandni reserve, Ramanagar sanctuary and Jasrotia sanctuary in Jammu region.

In Ladhak, Hemis High Altitude national park, Changthang wildlife sanctuary, Tso-Moriri, Tsokar and Pangong Tso have been identified.

At present, Jammu and Kashmir is lagging behind in the eco-tourism sector, especially when compared to west Bengal, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Punjab which manage to attract thousands of nature lovers every year.

The percentage of forest area to the total geographical area in Kashmir is 50.97 per cent while for Jammu it is 45.89 percent. In Ladhak, it stands at 0.06 per cent, bringing the total forest area of the state to 19.95 per cent. Warden said that the state has huge potential and it will in turn provide employment to thousands of people.