Union minister assures full support for development of tourism in J-K

Union Minister of State for Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel on Tuesday assured full support towards development of tourism and culture in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The assurance was given by Patel at a high-level meeting attended by advisors to Lieutenant Governor, K K Sharma and Farooq Khan, and Principal Secretary Tourism Navin K Choudhary among others here, an official spokesperson said.

He said the minister was briefed about the ongoing projects and the activities undertaken by the Tourism and Culture Department in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, the minister visited the historic Mubarak Mandi Heritage complex in the interior city and emphasised the need for collaborative efforts towards its preservation and protection.

Patel also paid obeisance at the ancient Shiv temple at Purmandal and stressed for holistic development of Purmandal-Utterbehni as a major Pilgrimage Centre on pilgrim tourism map of the country, the spokesperson said.

He said the Union minister took a round of the heritage complex and was briefed about its comprehensive conservation and adaptive reuse master plan.

Patel visited the interior sections of the complex and the Dogra Art Museum as well where Superintending Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, V S Rawat, explained to him about the ongoing conservation and preservation works being executed by the ASI in the complex, the spokesperson said.

He said the minister stressed the need for preserving the Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex as it is a world class heritage site.

During his visit to Purmandal, Patel asked for speedy preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for its development and Utterbehni under the centrally sponsored PRASAD scheme.

The minister stressed the need for developing a spiritual circuit for preserving the religious and cultural legacy of the region, the spokesperson said.

He also visited the ancient Buddhist Site at Ambaran managed by ASI, besides going to Jio Pota Ghat, Akhnoor Fort, Kameshwer temple and Pandav Gufa, he said.

Patel stressed for accelerating the pace of restoration and conservation works on Akhnoor Fort and advised for further development of Jio Pota Ghat and its surrounding areas to facilitate the tourists, the spokesperson said.