NEELUM VALLEY (Kashmir English): The connecting roads to beautiful tourist destinations in the upper reaches of the Neelum Valley such as Shunthar, Patlian, Ratti Gali and Baboon have been closed for the past six months making it inaccessible for tourist and causing risk to AJK tourism.
Tourists are returning from the beautiful valley with great disappointment, whereas the livelihood of thousands of locals associated with tourism has also been put at risk.
Tourism expert Raees Inqilabi, while talking to “Kashmir Digital”, said that the government makes claims of promoting tourism but practical steps are nowhere to be seen.
According to him, the government has not done any effective work to restore these important tourist routes till date. He said that we are associated with the mountaineering sector, but the routes of Shunthar, Patlian and Ratti Gali are still closed.
The real beauty of the Neelum Valley lies in the mountains and valleys, to reach which these routes must be restored.”
According to Rais Inqilabi, a cloudburst in 2021 at Rati Gali caused severe damage to about three kilometers of the road, which has not yet been repaired.
He added: “In Azad Kashmir, tourist roads are under the most pressure compared to other roads, but the government’s focus is elsewhere. Tourism cannot be promoted by measures limited to TV and newspapers alone.
The people here have become unemployed, and when there is no employment, people will only survive by cutting down forests.”
Rais Inqilabi appealed to the Prime Minister to take immediate notice of this serious problem and ensure the restoration of the connectivity routes to these upper tourist areas so that the employment of the local people is restored and the wheel of tourism can be started again.
