Srinagar, Dec 31: The heart of Srinagar city, Lal Chowk reverberated with new year joy and celebrations on the eve of welcoming 2024 as the first ever new year celebration was hosted at the historic clock tower Ghanta Ghar on Sunday.
Hundreds of people, including tourists, flocked to the clock tower, where a New Year event was organized by the Jammu and Kashmir tourist department. From early evening, the roads leading to the clock tower were jam-packed forcing authorities to close down the road leading to Ganta Gar.
The famous clock tower was illuminated with decorative lighting, and with a grand music show that was also organised with scores of artists performing live. People were seen celebrating the event to welcome the New Year at this historic place. This is the first time a New Year’s welcome event has been celebrated at this iconic place.
Security was beefed up around Lal Chowk to thwart any untoward incidents. Security forces were seen frisking people around the Lal Chowk area this afternoon. In addition to this, four 360-degree, higher-resolution cameras were installed on all four sides of the clock tower to keep extra vigil on movement on people.
Tourists, as well as residents, were seen flocking to the place early in the evening as the authorities hosted this historic show. Sushmita Jain, a tourist from Delhi, told Rising Kashmir that they were amazed to see a grand New Year celebration held at this historic place. She mentioned, “Earlier, this place was a chaos , but things have now changed, and this place is thriving.”
For those who have yet to visit Kashmir, I urge them to visit this beautiful place, as there is no place like it anywhere in the world,” she said, adding that she would encourage all her relatives and friends who have different thoughts on Kashmir to consider it a safe destination. “People can now enjoy Srinagar day and night, which is a live example that Kashmir is the safest place.
The recently revamped Clock Tower, attracts hundreds of tourists every evening. As the local shopkeepers say, since its rejuvenation, this place has become a must-visit destination for all non-local tourists.
The shopkeeper went on to say that before this major revamp, there was no such flow of tourists, and very few were visiting here. However, since its makeover, this has become a tourist hub.
The tourism department also organized such grand events at several other tourist destinations, including the ski resorts of Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg. The grand New Year’s Eve event was celebrated at Gulmarg, where the valley’s top artists performed live.
Tourism department officials said these grand events aimed to welcome the New Year. These events will make Kashmir and winter tourism more vibrant.
The officer stated that such events on different occasions were frequent after the success of the third tourism group meeting. The third tourism meeting in Srinagar has yielded results. The number of international visitors has increased .
The officer emphasized that these events were also organised in Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg to welcome the New Year and tourists. “Highest number of tourists visited the Kashmir valley this year. We are hopeful the new year will bring more tourists to the Kashmir Valley”, officials said.
