Do we really care to preserve, maintain and respect in the aesthetic sense, the natural boons which include those scenic, serene, cool , green and graceful spots, dotted with lush green tall trees , with the odours or the aroma of the fresh natural air or the gentle breeze and the like , naturally attracting people to visit and enjoy the artistic idea , the nature has put on the canvas so lavishly but very meticulously ? The answer is, not at all . Had it been so, then in proud pursuit of going to touch the highest peak of the Himalayas, the Mount Everest , there would have not been tons of garbage on it so much so that “earning” the nickname of being the “world’s highest garbage dump” would have not been what we humans have given to it.Slightest interference in the natural structure of a beautiful thing defaces it ,rather defiles it. William Wordsworth had praised nature so much deeply and our expected commitment not to ‘deceive’ or violate her that , “Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.”
With this prelude , the point which we want to dwell upon would get more clarified in the sense as to which type of remedial action was needed and how urgently, as also on how regularly on a permanent basis by those, who were otherwise administratively and morally responsible for undertaking the same. Patnitop is at the tip of a tongue or the first thing in mind anyone visiting Jammu and Kashmir by road would choose as one’s first priority to visit among other spots, especially when it comes to the nearest hilly station . From scorching heat in the plains including the city of Jammu and adjoining areas, within three hours one would find oneself in an entirely different world once reaching Patnitop. Unfortunate as it is, that the Tourism Development Authority and the Tourism Department itself do not pay adequate attention to the critical aspect of connectivity. There are number of tourism related spots in Jammu division itself which though having enough tourism potential have very poor or no road connectivity and about this elementary requirement towards building a tourism promoting culture , we have been voicing our concerns through these columns quite frequently.
We feel and have expressed so, many a time that the environment around a tourist spot which chiefly comprise roads etc should bear a special tinge and appearance of ‘something special’ being not far away and a sense of tourism festivity should greet the tourist having chosen the place to visit and enjoy . How can this feeling be had by the tourists when they find ditches, dilapidated roads, fallen and cut trees, garbage , weeds, abandoned shops, defaced huts, plastic material and used cold drink bottles ,left over synthetic pouches and the like while proceeding to Patnitop? Damaged parapets, sinking road patches, un-mackadamised portions of roads , defaced meadows and lawns of huts at many places littered and untidy are the avoidable blots on the upkeep and maintenance of Patnitop.
Agreed, for everything of the sort, blame cannot entirely be put on thePatnitop Development Authority and other agencies as many of us, in the burst of enjoying the picturesque spot , in ravelling ecstasy, do not care to leaving (rather returning) the exact spot visited in its original neat and tidy condition and the resultant mess even if in frequent isolated cases, gives a very clumsy and repellent look to otherwise enchanting and scenic one. A holistic view is needed to be taken by the administration to find all those areas requiring immediate attention as also those of us who must feel it as our duty to keep Patnitop clean as others too have right to visit and enjoy the scenic place.
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