GULMARG, Feb 16:
The highest dividend of peace is the arrival of tourists in great numbers particularly in Valley, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today.
He said tourism has an important role in the State’s economy and generation of wide-ranging economic activities for its people.
“Our efforts should be to develop and showcase the State for round the year destination for the tourists from all across the world,” the Chief Minister said, adding, “the highest dividend of peace is the arrivals of tourists in great numbers particularly in the Valley.”
Omar said peace conditions will always boost the tourism activities and help rope in large number of tourists.
“This speciality is yet another sphere of attraction for tourists besides mesmerising, enchanting and amazing natural resorts and wide-ranging fauna, flora and bio-diversity the State is blessed with,” Omar said after inaugurating National Ski and Snowboarding Championship here, 52 kms from Srinagar.
The Chief Minister said that organising sports events particularly winter games give considerable fillip to showcase the state as the ideal destination of different sports.
Omar said winter sports in Gulmarg and other places need to be given further boost to provide opportunities to the participants particularly youth of the State to nurture their talent and develop as world class players.
Normally, youth studying in different educational institutions find occasions and platform to participate and show their sports talent in different games, he said but youth not obtaining education are mostly deprived of such occasions.
“We should also enhance opportunities and avenues for them,” he said.
The Chief Minister said there is a need to promote winter sports particularly skiing in Gulmarg by upgrading ski slopes at Kongdoori and Mary Shoulder.
“This would help in holding the National and International Ski events in Gulmarg,” he said.
Omar said AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal acted in a haste by submitting his resignation over the Jan Lokpal Bill, and hinted that it was probably the “aim”.
Kejriwal resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister on Friday after suffering a defeat in the Assembly on the Jan Lokpal Bill after Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had advised the Speaker against transacting the Bill which, he said, should have prior clearance of Central Government.
“If he (Kejriwal) wanted to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill, he could have waited for Lieutenant Governor’s assent. He acted in a hurry to submit resignation,” Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
Omar said there was a set procedure on legislations followed by all States and the AAP chief should have followed it.
“When we have finance bill, which we call money bill, we send it to the Governor for assent. Only after that, it is introduced. This is the procedure we follow in all the States, and he could have done the same,” he added.
The Chief Minister said perhaps it was by design that Kejriwal wanted to stage a drama so that he could resign.
“Probably, it was the aim to create some drama before parliamentary elections so that he can resign,” Omar said. (PTI)
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