Tourism is the world’s largest industry, with exponential growth, and it is critical to city economies. The LG Administration of Jammu and Kashmir is also trying to increase tourist footfall and develop alternative tourist places. GoI has been formulating various schemes to provide financial aid for viable DPRs to develop new tourist places, and while the Kashmir Tourism Directorate has been successful in utilising the opportunity, the Jammu Tourism Department has been missing the bus too often. Despite the best of intentions, being unable to tap the potential is the sad story of the day. Jammu’s Tourism Department has failed to utilise the PRASHAD scheme to develop a pilgrimage circuit covering Uttarbehni, Purmandal, and Sukrala Mata. Leave alone the future development, the Directorate has even failed to utilise the already-built Yatrika Niwas at Sukrala, built for Rs 3.5 crores, even after ten years since its completion. Despite a sanctioned amount of Rs 5 crores to develop buildings, parks, and parking, only buildings were developed for reasons best known to the Tourism Department. It is a tragedy that during peak days there are chaotic road jams due to parking issues and there is no proper arrangement for pilgrims yet the department is not able to open this Yatri Complex to the public. Another Yatri Niwas, built by R&B with a budget of Rs 1.25 crores, is also unutilised. These are serious lapses and have to be investigated properly. Not only this infrastructure, but the Bani Tourist Complex is also a white elephant, built at a cost of crores but remaining unutilized. Much-hyped outsourcing policy without application of proper scrutiny resulted in zero results on the ground. Seven times a tender for Sukrala Complex with no bidder and miserably failed outsourcing at Bani are serious matters to fix the accountability. While neighbouring Punjab and Himachal are always blooming with tourists, our truly scenic destinations like Bani, Sarthal, and Sukarala are nowhere on the tourism circuit. Something is seriously wrong somewhere, and it must be worked out.
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