Tourist spots reopen, bringing relief to stakeholders

Verinag (Anantnag), June 17: Several parks across Jammu and Kashmir, including those in the popular tourist destination of Pahalgam, were reopened on Tuesday after being closed in the aftermath of the April 22 terror attack, officials said.
The reopening has been met with enthusiasm by both tourists and locals, who flocked to these recreational spaces in large numbers. Authorities said security personnel have been deployed in significant numbers around the reopened parks to ensure safety and instill public confidence.
The April 22 terror attack in the Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam left 26 people dead, most of them tourists, prompting authorities to temporarily close several key tourist spots.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had on Saturday announced the phased reopening of 16 parks — eight each in the Jammu region and Kashmir Valley. In the first phase, eight parks in the Valley were thrown open to the public.
Among the reopened parks were Verinag, a historic Mughal garden and the source of the Jhelum river, as well as parks in Pahalgam and the picturesque Betab Valley (also known as Hajan Valley), all of which saw a healthy turnout on the first day.
At Verinag, Congress leader and former MLA from Dooru, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, visited the garden and was seen interacting with school children. Speaking to reporters, he welcomed the reopening and thanked LG Sinha for responding to their request.
“This is a welcome step. We had met LG Sinha just a few days ago, and now the parks are open. We’re grateful,” Mir said. He added that Verinag has three entry gates, of which only one has been reopened. “While it allows for movement, the livelihoods of locals depend on access through the other two gates. I request that those be reopened gradually after proper review.”
Meanwhile, tourists expressed joy at being able to visit the reopened sites. Anibia, a visitor from Uttarakhand, said she and her family had arrived in Kashmir on Tuesday and felt lucky to visit Betab Valley, which had just reopened.
“We found everything normal here. What social media shows is very different from the reality. Kashmir is safe, and I would encourage others to come too,” she said.
Reshma, a tourist from Delhi, dressed in a traditional Kashmiri pheran, echoed the sentiment. “Kashmir, and especially Pahalgam, is a magical place. This is the perfect season to visit, especially for families during school vacations,” she said. “We’ll tell everyone back in Delhi about the beauty and hospitality of Kashmir. We even wore pherans and visited Betab Valley just to take photos in the traditional dress.”
Locals, too, welcomed the return of tourists. Zahoor Ahmad, stationed at a Pahalgam taxi stand, greeted tourists with shawls. “This is the first day tourists are returning after the April 22 attack. We are welcoming them in the best way we can,” he said. “With Betab Valley open again, we urge more people to come and enjoy the beauty of Pahalgam.”