Secretary Tourism Ladakh takes stock of pace progress of tourism infrastructure development works at Drass

KARGIL, JULY 07, 2021: As a part of his ongoing tour of Kargil District, Secretary Tourism, Labour and Employment Ladakh Mehboob Ali Khan today visited Drass Sub Division to inspect the pace of various ongoing works in tourism sector and also interacted with several public delegations.

Director Tourism Kunzes Angmo, Assistant Commisioner Revenue and CEO Kargil Development Authority Abdul Gaffar Zargar, SDM Drass Anwar Hussain, Assistant Director Tourism Aga Syed Toha, Under Secretary Tourism Arifa Iqbal, Executive Engineer KDA Sajjad Hussain Wazir, AE KDA Iftikhar Hussain, Tourism Expert Muhammad Hamza, Cultural Activist Muhammad Amin Polo besides other concerned officers accompanied the Secretary during the visit.

Several public representatives and other individuals including the Councilor Bhimbhat Aga Syed Muhammad Shah, BDC Chairpersons Najma Bano and Noor Muhammad, Sarpanches, Nambardars and members of the civil society met the Secretary and forwarded several demands pertaining to promotion of tourism, opening of restricted areas for tourists, registeration of labourers, establishment of Drass Development Authority, allotment of special tourism package for Drass in 2021-2022,  construction of ropeway gandola from Manman to Biru Khar, expansion of trekking routes, opening of Drass Gurez Road, promotion of winter sports and other related demands.

The Secretary gave a patient hearing to all issues and concerns of the inhabitants and assured them of suitable measures to address the issues. He said that maximum funds will be projected for Drass under SDP next year.

As regards to the opening of the restricted areas for tourists, Secretary Mehboob Ali Khan assured that the matter will be taken up with the Army authorities, and a proposal will also be forwarded in this regard.

The Secretary said that objective of the tour was to understand the tourism potential of Drass and special focus will be laid to promote summer as well winter tourism in the area, while to achieve this goal all required measures will be taken after proper planning and assesment.He also assured that soon a labour registration camp will be organised in Drass which will ensure the mandatory rights to the labourers.

At Minamarg, the Secretary directed the concerned officers to complete the public convenience by the end of this year which is being constructed by the Toursim Department at a cost of Rs 80 lacs.

Pertaining to the construction of Skoryangs Centre in Drass, Secretary Khan directed officers to identify the land and prepare the DPR with the mandatory inclusion of structural norms as per traditional architecture.

At Darupadi Kund, the Secretary Tourism directed officers to ensure proper demarcation of the site for its landscaping and beautification including fencing of the kund besides establishment of camping sites, eco-friendly benches, washroom and reception.

Secretary Khan also visited eastern portal the of Zojila Tunnel where he inspected the process of the works being carried out presently.

The Secretary was informed by the concerned officials of NHIDCL that 70 metres drilling has been done so far and by the end of the year the target of 1 km will be achieved.

The Secretary enquired about the facilities being provided to labourers and directed the concerned to adhere to labour laws in letter and spirit.

Secretary Mehboob Ali Khan also visited Manman Viewpoint where he was informed about the potential of establishment of ropeway gandola from Manman to Biru Khar, trekking routes, paragliding and winter ski slopes.

The Secretary Toursim interacted with public delegations at Mushkoo Village and also visited Botokal Meadows.Underling the beauty of various tourism potential sites in the area, he said that proper planning will be done to channelise tourism sector in Drass which in turn will be a game changer in boosting the economy of the area.

Meanwhile, the Secretary directed the concerned officers to frame DPR for street lighting of Drass town.

Earlier on Tuesday, enroute Kargil from Zanskar the Secretary Tourism visited Stongday Monastery and reviewed the on-going pace of construction works there. He also inspected the progress of works being executed by the ZDA like river rafting point at Remala and road side amenities at Hamiling under District Plan at a cost of Rs 99.7 lakhs and Rs 1.38 lakhs respectively and TFC at Rangdum at a cost of 2.24 crores under the PMDP Scheme.

Secretary Mehbbob Ali Khan also directed the CEO and engineers of ZDA to prepare proposals for establishment of viewpoint of Drang Drung Glacier and cafeteria at Panzela.