Kashmir reverberates with summer tourists

Thanks to the prevailing peace this summer, Kashmir Valley is once again the vaunted paradise on earth, overflowing with tourists who have snapped up every possible airline seat and accommodation in hotels, guest houses, houseboats, tourist huts and lodges.

The arrivals for the year could touch a staggering one million, an official said.

"Up to Wednesday, we had 485,828 tourist arrivals in the Valley since January. This includes 442,540 domestic and 13,207 foreign tourists. This apart, 30,081 tourists visited the Ladakh region during this period with most of them using the Srinagar-Leh highway to reach there", said a senior official of the state tourism department.

He said the arrivals are likely to go up, especially in July, as more tourists are expected to reach here.

"The annual Amarnath Yatra begins on June 29. Around 300,000 pilgrims have registered their arrival to the Valley for this year's Yatra," the official said in an interview.

"Amarnath Yatra pilgrims included, we are expecting a record number of tourist arrivals in the Valley this year", said the tourism department official, adding that the figure for the entire year could go up to one million.

Tourism is the Valley's second biggest money spinner after the Rs.2,000-crore horticulture sector. It was badly hit last year as the Valley had remained shut for over four months because of the summer unrest during which 110 people died in bloody clashes with the security forces.

"Tourist arrivals had dropped to zero after the unrest started here last year. Thanks to the prevailing peaceful atmosphere, more and more tourists are flocking to the Valley.

"Most hotels, guest houses and tourist lodges and huts in Srinagar and (hill stations of) Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam are fully booked. We have advance bookings for hotels and tourist huts for the next two months. All fights to Srinagar are operating at their full capacity these days," the officer said.

Most of the floating palaces, known locally as the houseboats, on the Nigeen and Dal Lakes in Srinagar city have full occupancy these days.

"It is a wonderful tourist season and all of us are praying things stay this way in the coming months and the next year as well", said Muhammad Ramzan, 54, the owner of a Dal Lake houseboat.

Tourist arrivals in 2009 were just 207,013 while 535,374 tourists - the bulk of them Amarnath pilgrims - came to the Valley last year.

TOI

JK Police launches assistance centre for Amarnath pilgrims

Jammu, June 27 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir Police has opened a reception-cum-yatri assistance centre to facilitate smooth boarding and lodging of pilgrims of Amarnath Yatra, which begins tomorrow. "We have launched a reception-cum-yatri assistance centre to facilitate smooth and easy boarding and lodging for the pilgrims, besides providing an idea of roads and routes", Jammu-Samba-Kathua range DIG Farooq Khan told reporters after inaugurating the centre at Kunjwani in the city outskirts. The centre will take care of accommodation facilities at base camp yatri niwas and other places in the city for pilgrims, he said. Booklets, pamphlets and roadmaps will also be distributed to the devotees, Khan said.

Amarnath yatra begins with 2,096 pilgrims

JAMMU: The annual Amarnath yatra began on Tuesday amid tight security as the first batch of 2,096 devotees left Jammu base camp for pilgrimage to the 13,500 meter-high cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas.

With CRPF keeping strict vigil, a cavalcade of 73 vehicles carrying the pilgrims was flagged off by Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora from Amarnath Basecamp at Bagwatinagar Yatri Niwas here around 5:00 AM.

The devotees offered prayers and chanted Lord Shiva slogans like "Bum Bum Bolay, Chalo Amarnath, Chalo Eik Saath" at the event.

1,369 males, 421 females, 110 children and 196 Sadhus left in 49 buses and 24 Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) for Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Kashmir valley and their onward journey to the shrine.

"The yatra has begun from here today. The first batch has been flagged off for the cave shrine. All arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the yatra," Jora told reporters.

There is no fear to the yatra and it is going on smoothly, he said after flagging off the event attended by Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal and IGP Jammu Dilbagh Singh.

Adequate security arrangements have been made in Jammu and along the route to the Amarnath cave shrine for the safety and security of the pilgrims, Singh said.

With paramilitary forces deployed along the highway, the yatra has crossed Udhampur.

ET

Amarnath yatra begins amid tight security arrangements

JAMMU: The annual Amarnath yatra began on Tuesday amid tight security as the first batch of 2,096 devotees left Jammu base camp for pilgrimage to the 13,500 meter-high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.

With CRPF keeping strict vigil, a cavalcade of 73 vehicles carrying the pilgrims was flagged off by minister for tourism and culture Nawang Rigzin Jora from Amarnath basecamp at Bagwatinagar Yatri Niwas here around 5:00am.

The devotees offered prayers and chanted Lord Shiva slogans like "Bum Bum Bolay, Chalo Amarnath, Chalo Eik Saath" at the event.

1,369 men, 421 women, 110 children and 196 Sadhus left in 49 buses and 24 Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) for Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Kashmir valley and their onward journey to the shrine.

"The yatra has begun from here today. The first batch has been flagged off for the cave shrine. All arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the yatra," Jora said.

There is no fear to the yatra and it is going on smoothly, he said after flagging off the event attended by divisional commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal and IGP Jammu Dilbagh Singh.

Adequate security arrangements have been made in Jammu and along the route to the Amarnath cave shrine for the safety and security of the pilgrims, Singh said.

With paramilitary forces deployed along the highway, the yatra has crossed Udhampur.

TOI