Srinagar, Sep 12: Overall situation in Kashmir could be debatable, but a high level delegation from Australian High Commission on visit to the Valley was so impressed to see Sangarmaal City Centre that they minced no words to term the mall: wonderful.
 “It (Sangarmaal) is wonderful. We are very much impressed,” Diana Nelson, Counsellor Political at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi said while concluding her whirlwind visit of the state-of-the-art mall.
 She was flanked by Brendan Hodgson, the Second Secretary (Political) at the Australian consulate as the duo was welcomed by officials from Srinagar Development Authority (SDA), the custodians of the mall fast turning into trendy hangout.
 Giving her views about the visit, Nelson said it was good that developmental works have picked up in the City.
 “Development obviously is very important and people need to be included in developmental works,” she said.
 The delegates were taken around by SDA VC Khawaja Farooq RenzuShah and other officials who apprized them about the mall inaugurated some two years back by Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.
 “The Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and the MOS Housing Nasir Aslam Wani have been always taking extraordinary care to make the City centre successful,” she was told by the SDA officials.
 During visit to the shops, the delegates were offered Kehwa prepared in traditional Samawaar while the President of the Sangarmaal Traders Welfare Association, Manzoor Mir gifted shawls to them.
 Apart from shops, the delegates visited offices at the mall including the one owned by Al Khuddam Group of Companies, where they met businessmen and inquired about international trade and role of Kashmiris in that.
 Sheikh Ashiq, Director, Al Khuddam said during a business tour to Australia he had seen tremendous response to Kashmiri crafts. “We didn’t bring back anything because all was sold. This logically clarifies that Kashmir and Australia can share excellent business ties particularly in tourism,” Ashiq said.
 Earlier, Deputy Town Planner SDA, Belkies Jeelani apprized the delegates about the ongoing revamp of Srinagar’s Master Plan and other future assignments.
 The team said it was impressed to know about the SDA plans. “I really appreciate the opportunity of meeting Mr (Renzu)Shah and (Srinagar) development authority people,” the Australian High Commission official said.
 Sangarmaal, an ambitious project was being seen as a dead horse till a few months back. But since summer of this year the mall is full of life with festivals and other attractions having increased the footfall manifold.
 In the recent past, several prominent personalities visited the shopping plaza. Apart from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his predecessor Mufti Muhammad Sayed, senior separatist leader Muhammad Yasin Malik were seen at the hangout.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 12 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:00:00 IST