Srinagar, June 11: Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt. Governor, Jammu and Kashmir during his three day review tour of Gurez visited the border village of Chorwan where he inaugurated a view point constructed by the Indian Army in order to promote border tourism in the area.
As per an official, the model view point has been constructed by the Indian Army to facilitate the large number of tourists thronging Gurez this tourist season.
This initiative comes in wake of the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan and the mandate of the Lieutenant Governor to promote border tourism in order to boost the economy and infrastructure development of bordering areas.
During his visit, the advisor was also briefed about the Green FDL initiative on a forward post where Kashmir’s first windmill has been established by the Indian Army to reduce consumption of fuel and carbon footprint.
Since Gurez does not have capacitive power supply the locals and Army personnel are dependent on diesel generators for power supply which incurs a huge financial impact on the government. The advisor was also recommended that such renewable sources of energy be explored to ameliorate the power crisis in Gurez.
Numerous initiatives have been undertaken by the Indian Army in collaboration with the District Administration and J&K Tourism Department following which the valley has witnessed a huge inflow of tourists bringing a ray of hope for the locals of this remote valley. It is anticipated that through these initiatives more than 50,000 tourists will visit Gurez this season and contribute to boost the economy of the valley.
The Advisor lauded the initiatives of the Indian Army in Gurez and complimented the joint efforts of the Indian Army, Civil Administration and locals in catalysing development and maintaining peace and tranquility in the region.