To attract the attention of higher authorities and the outside world for promoting winter sports, youth in the remote valley of Gurez have organized a snow cricket tournament on a frozen snowfield in Dawar.
According to the locals, the remote valley has a great potential for winter sports as it remains covered under heavy snow which the tourism and sports authorities have failed to recognize.
They said that when different winter sports can be organized in Gulmarg, why cannot similar games be held in Gurez during winter months as the area has great potential.
“Gurez valley has been ignored on all fronts by successive regimes even as the area has a vast scope for tourism activities during summers as well as winter. The area remains covered under heavy snow for more than four months during winters which provide a great opportunity to organize winter games here also. The serene and mesmerizing beauty of this small valley, mostly during winters when it’s covered with heavy snow, attracts the attention of many,” said Shahid Zaibullah, one of the organizing members.
He said that the successive governments have failed to recognize the potential the Gurez valley has for winter sports. “The area lacks sports infrastructure for organizing winter games as it has been ignored, but to attract the attention of higher authorities and the outside world youth of Gurez decided to organize snow cricket tournament,” he said.
The residents said that the area lags far behind other parts of the state as it remains cut off from rest of the valley and outside world for about six months due to the closure of Bandipora-Gurez road during winter months. “The closure is due to least importance paid towards this road, that is why we have been demanding a tunnel to provide round the year connectivity to this picturesque valley,” a local resident said.
Locals said that youth have now turned to snow cricket at the foothills of famous Habba Khatoon peak to promote winter sports in Gurez and also beat the winter chill.
Muhammad Younis, a local resident, said that during winter months people of Gurez remain confined to their homes as they don’t have anything to do. “Had the authorities promoted this place as a winter destination and organized winter games, the area would get economically uplifted and it would also help the residents to overcome weather vagaries. The area has the potential for winter games like snow skiing, ice hockey and various other games,” he said.
With the recent snowfall across Kashmir, Gurez has received more than 3 feet snow and with nothing to do in this harsh winter, snow cricket has become a point of attraction for most of the residents here.