Bandipora, Jan 18:Amid sub-zero temperatures, the widely renowned sport cricket returned on icy pitches in the Gurez Valley of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
Pertinently the ‘snow cricket’ in Gurez Valley gained worldwide attention last year when Australian batsman, Marnus Labuschagne, re-shared a video of young people playing cricket on snow on his Twitter handle with a comment “How good is that.”
The inhabitants of Dawar area in Gurez Valley this winter too arranged a snow cricket tournament on a snow-covered ground encircled by mountains blanketed in snow.
Arshid Ahmad, a local social activist, told Rising Kashmir that Gurez has the potential to be a centre of winter sports yet there has been very minimal assistance from the government to utilize it.
He mentioned that the area remains draped in snow for approximately six months, which gives an amazing opportunity to organize winter sports here.
Another social activist from Gurez, Irshad Samoon told Rising Kashmir that the Gurez lacks infrastructure for organizing winter sports, but to draw in people and higher authorities, the youth of Gurez has been organising snow cricket tournaments for years.
He said that the potential of having winter sports in Gurez is encouraging and possible and the government should intervene to explore this aspect in Gurez which will attract more tourists to the valley.
Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Dr Owais Ahmed told Rising Kashmir that since the only road to Gurez remains cut off because of the accrual of snow at Razdan pass, the augmentation of chopper services is on cards so visitors can throng to Gurez valley in winter as well.
“We have started chopper services for local people of Gurez and medical emergencies but it will be augmented for tourists soon to make Gurez valley all weather tourist destination”, he added.
He said that the promotion of tourism in Gurez as well as in the whole district is the top priority of the administration and every possible effort is being taken to make Gurez a top-notch tourist destination on a global level. “Equipment for snow skiing have been dispatched to Gurez and we are working on other possible steps to have winter sports in Gurez this year”, he concluded.
