Srinagar, Sep 16: The local residents of Chrarai Sharief, Pakherpora, Yusmarg, Goggi-Pathri, Nilag and Buzgoo are aghast over non inclusion of Yusmarg – Nilnag and Yusmarg – Bargah rope way in the list of recently sanctioned battery of 18 ropeways in various areas of Jammu and Kashmir by the Administrative Council. They have maintained that though construction of two ropeways one each in Loran Poonch to Tossamaidan and Sitharant to Tossamaidan in district Budgam was a welcome step but ignoring famous Yusmarg tourist resort in the ambitious ropeway construction plan was very heart wrenching for the people of Chrara-i-Sharief, Pakherpora, Yusmarg, Goggi Pathri, Buzgoo, Nilag and other stakeholders.
They said construction of the Cable car project from Yusmarg to Nilnag and Yusmarg to Bargah meadows was approved in the 5th meeting of Yusmarg Development Authority (YDA) way back in 2013. They said the Administrative Council has sanctioned ropeways even for lesser known destinations and unreasonably ignored much needed Yusmarg -Nilnag and Yusmarg Bargah ropeway. Yusmarg, besides being one of the most favoured calm and uncongested tourist destinations also offers superb pilgrim tourism potential as it is nestled with the shrines of revered sufi saints including Hazrat Shiekh Noor-ud-Din Wali (RA) at Chrar-I-Sharief and Sultan Ali Aali Bulkhi at Pakherpora.
The people of the area have made a fervent appeal to Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha to personally intervene in the matter so that a ropeway project is also sanctioned from Yusmarg to Nilnag and Yusmarg to Bargag meadows.
Worthwhile to mention, Administrative Council its recent Decision No. 373 – PW (R&B) of 2023 Dated 06-09-2023 has approved an ambitious multi crore central project under countrywide Parvat Mala initiative of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, to develop a comprehensive ropeway network including in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir also to benefit all sections of the population and to boost tourism activities in a big way. These ropeway projects also include Loran Poonch to Tossamaidan ropeway, Sitharant to Tossamaidan in Budgam, Makhdoom Sahib to Hariparbat, Shankar Acharya ropeway, Baltal to Amarnath cave, Sonamarg to Thajiwas, Wullar to Baba Shukur-ud-Din, Pahalgam to Baisaran, Dubjan to Peer ki Gali, Sonamarg to Kishansar etc.