CM Omar calls for sustainable, high-value tourism policy in J&K
Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Nov 11 :
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday received a rousing welcome at the Civil Secretariat upon his arrival to assume office in the winter capital.
This marked his first official visit to the Jammu Secretariat since taking office as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on October 16 in Srinagar.
The Chief Minister was greeted by his Council of ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary and cabinet members Sakeena Masood Itoo, Javed Ahmad Rana, Javid Ahmad Dar, and Satish Sharma.
Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta and other senior officials, and staff of the Civil Secretariat were also present to receive him.
In a gesture of camaraderie, the Chief Minister visited the chambers of his Ministers to formally welcome them, reflecting his commitment to fostering a collaborative working environment.
During his visit, Chief Minister also inspected the ongoing construction of the new Assembly Complex.
He toured the complex, where officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) Roads & Buildings (R&B) Division provided a detailed briefing on the project’s various stages, timeline and next steps.
A severe drop in visibility across Jammu and the surrounding regions caused widespread flight disruptions, including the cancellation of all evening flights on Sunday and delays in arrivals and departures on Monday morning.
The adverse weather conditions even forced Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, to take the road to the winter capital, as flights were unable to operate due to the thick fog and haze.
A senior official confirmed that low visibility, caused by smog-like conditions, had affected air traffic since Sunday evening. With no flights operating the previous day, and both incoming and outgoing flights delayed on Monday, Omar had no choice but to forgo air travel and instead embarked on a road trip from Srinagar to Jammu.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Chief Minister shared his experience, saying, “Poor visibility in Jammu meant a sudden, last-minute road trip. Nothing flew in or out from Jammu yesterday, so I had to saddle up and drive to the winter
J&K CM assumes
capital.” In a separate post, he said: “From the balcony of the official residence, it seems unlikely flights will be operating anytime soon today. You can barely see the sun through the haze.”
The weather disruptions caused significant inconvenience for travellers, with several airlines — including SpiceJet, IndiGo, and Alliance Air — announcing cancellations and delays. Passengers were left stranded at airports in Delhi, Srinagar, and Jammu, with no clear indication of when flights would resume.
The Meteorological Department, which monitors visibility in the region every half hour, issued a forecast indicating that smog and haze would continue to affect the plains and border areas of Jammu and Kashmir until rainfall clears the air. Officials warned that these conditions could persist throughout Monday and into Tuesday, further complicating air travel in the region.
Fresh snowfall in Gurez
Meanwhile, in the scenic Gurez Valley of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, snowfall provided a stark contrast to the fog in the plains. A fresh blanket of snow covered the valley on Monday morning, particularly in areas like Kilshay Top, Tulail, and nearby villages. The fresh snowfall aligned with the forecast issued by the Meteorological Department, which predicted light rain and snow for various parts of Jammu and Kashmir as a result of a weak Western Disturbance.
According to the MET department, the disturbance is expected to bring more snowfall and rain to the region, with heavy snow anticipated in the higher reaches of Kashmir, including Gurez Valley. The weather system is expected to persist until the early hours of November 12.
As a result of the weather conditions, the MET department issued a weather advisory predicting heavy to very heavy snowfall over the higher reaches of the Kashmir division over the next three days. The snowfall is expected to affect areas such as Razdan Top, Sinthan Top, Peer Ki Gali, Phase 2 of Gulmarg, as well as the higher reaches of Pahalgam and Sonamarg. The Kashmir plains, including areas like Srinagar, may experience light rain showers on November 11.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has urged residents and travellers to remain alert and follow weather advisories in light of the ongoing weather disturbances.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired a high-level meeting at the Civil Secretariat here to review the functioning of the Tourism Department and chart the way forward for a more sustainable, visitor-focused approach in Jammu and Kashmir’s tourism sector.
The meeting was attended by Advisor to Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner Secretary Tourism, Yasha Mudgal, Directors of Tourism Jammu/Kashmir and other senior officials from the Tourism Department.
Commissioner Secretary Tourism presented an overview of the department’s achievements, promotional activities, and future plans, highlighting recent successful events such as the Kashmir Marathon, G20 Summit, F4 Car Show in Kashmir, Sunburn Music Festival in Jammu and the JK Tourism Development Conclave 2024. During the meeting, additional plans were discussed for promoting adventure activities like skiing and river rafting.
Recognizing the role of tourism as the “backbone” of J&K’s economy, the Chief Minister highlighted its potential to create substantial employment opportunities for youth.
He underscored the need to treat tourism as a structured, long-term endeavour, rather than an ad-hoc activity, by adopting a tourist-centric perspective.
“We need to enhance the tourist experience, so visitors are more likely to revisit and recommend J&K as a destination,” the chief minister remarked.
Addressing key challenges, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for focused efforts in garbage disposal and waste management through sustained campaigns and stakeholder awareness.
During the meeting, he noted the urgent need for additional wayside amenities and certified clean toilet facilities along major tourist routes and at key destinations to elevate visitor satisfaction.
“We must build environmentally conscious infrastructure that respects J&K’s unique heritage and architecture,” he added.
Chief Minister Abdullah highlighted the importance of shifting tourism efforts from “high volume” to “high value,” emphasizing quality over quantity.
He also urged regulated infrastructure growth in newly proposed destinations and developing tourist spots to ensure sustainable development. He stressed the need for synergized efforts with the local community, advocating for all tourism projects to consider heritage preservation and environmental sustainability.
To further improve the tourist experience, the Chief Minister favoured creation of a feedback portal directly linked to his office, enabling tourists to share their experiences and suggestions.
Chief Minister emphasized routine inspections of homestay facilities to maintain cleanliness and essential infrastructure standards, ensuring a welcoming environment for all visitors.
The progress on central government schemes such as PRASAD and Swadesh Darshan was also reviewed. Chief Minister said that Sonamarg has the potential to emerge as a Skiing destination given the abundance of snow there and it needs our attention.
Chief Minister expressed dissatisfaction over poor condition of waste dumping site at Gulmarg and exhorted the concerned officials to improve the waste management facilities in Gulmarg on priority.
Chief Minister proposed sustainable development measures for Gulmarg, called for revitalizing the Gondola service.
He took serious view of mismanagement in Gondola service ticketing which has irked the tourists and has lead to black marketing of tickets.
He directed JK Cable Car Corporation to streamline the ticketing process with efficiency, leveraging the technology and making tickets easily available to visitors.
For skiing development, he recommended hiring reputed consultants and experts for proper alignment of skiing drag lifts and emphasized that all plans should consider the impacts of climate change.
Chief Minister underlined the need for taking up green field tourism development projects.
He gave instructions for strengthening of Tourism Development Authorities and taking immediate steps to prepare master plans for every development authority for planned development of tourism destinations.
