The office of the Sonmarg Development Authority continues to operate from the mini secretariat in Ganderbal despite the tourist resort opening to visitors earlier this month.
The tourist resort of Sonamarg usually remains closed duringwinter months due to heavy snow that accumulates the area making the tourismseason short for the destination.
Official sources said that the SDA office continues tofunction from Ganderbal as its main office at Sonamarg remains idle.
They said that due to the non-availability of any official,particularly the chief executive officer SDA, the official work continues toremain affected and various developmental works at the important tourist resortare also likely to be hit.
Sources said for a simple application or any other documentone has to either go to Ganderbal or wait till the functioning of the mainoffice.
Interestingly, the SDA is without a permanent head forseveral months after the previous chief executive officer was transferred out.
The government has given additional charge of CEO SDA toadditional deputy commissioner of Ganderbal district.
Officials anonymously say that frequent and prematuretransfers of SDA heads during the last few years has badly hit the developmentauthority’s overall performance and functioning.
This has also given a free hand to some people to carry outillegal construction works around the resort, they say.
The Sonamarg Development Authority was formed in 2003 forplanned development of the tourist resort.
Sonamarg also hosts a major base camp for the annualAmarnath pilgrimage via the Baltal route gaining popularity with the pilgrimswho prefer the shorter route to the much longer one via Pahalgam.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal, ShowketAhmed Rather who also holds the additional charge of Chief Executive Officer ofSDA, told Greater Kashmir that the development authority office at Sonamargwill be made functional soon.
“I have asked the Executive Engineer to remain at themain office,” adding that he himself couldn’t visit Sonamarg.