Borderland Tranquility: Tourists Flock Peaceful LoC Areas in Jammu and Kashmir

It’s not only Pehlgam or Gulmarg but areas close to line of control, are now a days attracting huge number of tourists to these areas. Along with the beauty of these mountain ranges, tourists are excited to see border that divides the two countries The guns have fallen silent on the Line of control between India and Pakistan for over two years now. And after these peaceful years, the government of Jammu and Kashmir along with the department of tourism have opened many areas close to the LoC for tourists and visitors. The people living on the line of control are finally living a peaceful life and are ready to welcome tourists from across the country and world.

The areas close to LoC in North Kashmir include Keran, Gurez, Tangdhar, Machil and Bangus that have been added to the new list of tourist places in the valley. Raja Yaqoob Farooq Director Tourism Kashmir said “Jammu and Kashmir saw around 1 crore 30 lakh tourists’ arrivals. We have opened 300 new destinations in the UT. We have focused on the border tourism. We focus on sustainability, we are doing promotions, we are also building infrastructure. When tourists come here to border area, the income of these people will increase.”

The department of tourism has prepared a plan to build infrastructure in these areas while keeping environment in mind. They are also providing employment and generating economic opportunities to the local people of these areas. “It’s extremely important for the women empowerment as well. When they start earning, the lifestyle changes. We are promoting home stays run by locals. Already 20 home stays have been registered. We are also constructed tourist facility. We are providing an e pass from district Kupwara website. You can procure the pass and come and visit. Said Ayushi Sudan DC Kupwara With breathtaking views of hills and rivers, these places are being promoted as adventure tourism destinations. And what is exciting for the people is waving at people from across the border. People from various parts of the country come to witness these visuals.

Raju tourist from Hyderabad said  “I am extremely happy; I had seen this on the social media, and I came to see the place with my family. It looks better than what I saw on social media. Looking at Pakistani people from so closely is also very nice and exciting. I will tell everyone to come here. It’s without fencing border and is amazing.”

Significantly, Kashmir has witnessed record breaking tourist arrivals in the last 4 months,. With all the major tourist destinations of the Kashmir Valley like Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg fully booked for most of the season. The government says that promoting these sites will also help in meeting the huge influx of tourists visiting the Kashmir Valley. “When it used to be ceasefire violation we used to run for our lives. It’s so peaceful now. Nothing happened since last 70 years but in the last 4 years things have changed drastically. Our roads are better, our water and electricity is better. I congratulate the central government and Indian army for thier exemplary work. It’s a beautiful scene when people from both the countries wave at each other. Said a local resident Mumtaz Khan who provides shelter to tourist 

The Indian Army has played a major role in opening these areas to the public. The entire security system in these areas is under the Indian Army and they are not only protecting these areas but also promoting them as tourist destinations. The local people of the area say that without the Indian Army it would not be possible to welcome tourists in these areas.