'3 J&K tourist circuits under Centre's active consideration'

Three mega religious tourist circuits in Jammu and Kashmir "are under active consideration of the Centre", the state Assembly was informed today, triggering a walkout by opposition PDP MLAs who demanded a tourist circuit in Pulwama.
Tourism Minister G A Mir said approval for the Rs 150 crore tourist circuits -- Sufi Circuit in Kashmir, Pilgrimage Circuit in Jammu and Buddhist Circuit in Ladakh -- were under active consideration of the Centre, and the state government had addressed the issues raised in this regard.
Mir was replying to supplementary questions raised by some members to the main query of Congress MLA Ashok Kumar in the Legislative Assembly today.

The minister said construction of ropeway at Patnitop had already been cleared under public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The government has been vigorously following environment clearance for the project from Supreme Court which is expected within a month, he added.
Mir said the government was encouraging youths to take part in water sports at Baglihar and Ranjit Sagar Dams, and for the purpose incentive was being provided to purchase equipment.
He said as many as 152 tourism projects at a cost of Rs 628.86 crore had been sanctioned by the Centre for Jammu and Kashmir, and 75 of them had been completed while works for remaining 77 projects were at various stages of completion.

He said seven central projects of Rs 18.22 crore had been sanctioned the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA).

"Moreover, Rs 3.50 crore is being extended by the state for upgrading tourist-related infrastructure through PDA in several areas including some of Ramban constituency," he said.
Meanwhile, PDP members Syed Bashir, Mohammad Khalil, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat and Mushtaq Ahmed raised questions about projects in Pulwama district, and demanded a tourism circuit in the district.
As the PDP MLAs were barred from raising supplementary questions and the government refused reply on the issues, they walked out from the House.