Despite having high potential and rich natural resources the authorities in North Kashmir’s Kupwara province have failed to generate revenue from the assets constructed by the Development Authority to attract tourists and visitors for the last couple of years.
The border district Kupwara has a separate, Lolab Bangus Drangyari Development Authority (LBDDA) that have built around a dozen of assets worth crores in the past.
Residents while expressing their resentment against the Development Authority told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that even after spending a hefty amount of money from the government exchequer for the construction of huts for tourist and visitors, it has failed to serve the purpose as many of the huts is left unattended for a long now.
Official sources said that the LBDDA has its huts in Diver Lolab, Chandigam, Lalpora, Khumriyal, Zangli, Reshwari, Gaddaji, Sunmulla, and Drangyari but are closed for a long now without generating any revenue.
Locals said the concerned developmental authority is acting as a mute spectator and has not initiated any concrete steps to promote these places.
A local contractor said that the LBDDA recently issued very high bidding charges for the huts that have not opened for long now and even people of this district are not well aware of those structures.
“These assets need the attention of authorities at the earliest since they have not served any purpose by far. Many of them are out of bounds for locals. The administration must promote these places to give tourism a flip,” he said.
A student said, “This is high time for the government to promote tourism on this frontier district which has high potential to generate revenue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Nazir Ahmad, who holds the additional charge of LBDDA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said that the huts can only generate revenue when tourists visit the district.
He maintained that all these huts are functional—(KNO)
