‘Site can attract large number of tourists if Govt provides basic facilities’
“Macadamising the road at its current level would be futile as it would get damaged due to rising Wular Lake water levels in June and July months. WUCMA has a proposal to raise the road’s height, but the work remains incomplete. Once WUCMA finishes the filling process, our department will issue a DPR and macadamize the road.”
Bandipora, Feb 8: Residents of Zurimanz village, a popular tourist destination in Bandipora district of north Kashmir Saturday expressed their anger over the poor condition of the major road link in the area. They urged the government to take concrete steps to address their demand of repairing the road-link so that the village becomes a major tourist hub in real terms.
Locals said that despite Zurimanz’s popularity among tourists, the village lacks basic facilities, including better roads. The main road, considered as the lifeline of the area, stays submerged for almost six months adding more to the peoples’ woes.
Zurimanz, also known as “Bangladesh”, lies next to Wular Lake, one of South Asia’s largest lakes, around 69 km from Srinagar. The village has seen a surge in tourist footfall since the installation of a boardwalk on Wular Lake, known as the “Wular Viewpoint,” constructed by the Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA). The boardwalk offers panoramic views of Mount Harmukh overlooking the lake.
However, locals said tourists often turn back halfway due to the poor condition of the access road. “Visitors come where there is a proper road facility,” said Bashir Ahmad Dar, a shikara rider. “The lack of a proper road has kept tourists away. I have been here since morning but earned only 400 rupees so far. The absence of a road is a major deterrent, affecting my livelihood,” he added.
Manzoor Ahmad, a tea seller near the viewpoint, said the government should build more viewpoints and parks around Wular Lake to boost employment. “If we talk about promoting tourism, the potential is huge. But the roads are in poor condition and go underwater for six months. We urge the government to provide better facilities. With support, we can develop Wular Lake’s tourism potential like Dal Lake by building parks, jetties, and other infrastructure, which will create jobs for unemployed youth,” he said.
Ghulam Hassan Bhat, president of the Mahigeer Association Bandipora, said he has repeatedly raised the issues pertaining to the village with government officials but nothing has happened on ground so far.
“Despite being declared a tourist spot two years ago, our village lacks basic infrastructure, particularly roads. Our population of 2,000 has been ignored. We have met LG Manoj Sinha and MLAs, but no action has been taken. We urge the government to address our problems, especially that of road, to promote tourism and improve lives,” he said.
Mohd Hussain, Executive Engineer, R&B Department Bandipora, said macadamising the road at its current level would be futile as it would get damaged due to rising Wular Lake water levels in June and July. He said WUCMA has a project to raise the road’s height, but the work remains incomplete.
“Once WUCMA finishes the filling process, our department will issue a DPR and macadamize the road,” he said. Repeated attempts to reach WUCMA officials didn’t fructify.
