Waris Fayaz

Gulmarg, Sept 18 : Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday criticised the Centre over continued closure of several prominent tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that tourism promotion and closures can’t go hand-in-hand.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Gulmarg Convention Centre, CM Omar, per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said the Pahalgam incident should not have happened, but once security measures were in place, the government should have reopened tourist destinations without delay.

“On one hand, the government claims normalcy and pushes tourism campaigns, but on the other hand, several popular destinations remain shut. Both things can’t go hand in hand”, he said.

He demanded immediate reopening of places like Drung, Doodhpathri, parts of Gulmarg, Yousmarg, Tosamaidan and others, stating that tourism stakeholders have already suffered huge losses—(KNO)