Aru a breathtaking tourist spot lacks basic facilities
Anantnag: Aru, a tourist spot in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district lacks basic facilities as there are no network facilities, very narrow road and no public utility places.
Tourists visiting the area have complained that the approach road from Pahalgam to Aru is very narrow.
“At places it takes a long wait for vehicles to pass as the road is so dangerous and narrow that only one vehicle manages to pass at a time,” says a local hotelier.
He said that the existing road that has been constructed on the bank of tributary of Lidder is hardly is 10 feet in width.
“In case of rain or even otherwise shooting stones make the road very dangerous to travel on,” he added.
Zakir Ahmad, a local tourist who had spent three days at the scenic spot said that the area does not have mobile network coverage.
“One remains totally cut off from the rest of the world,” he said.
He said there are no public utility spaces and no market available so that one could even make some purchases.
The local tourists who visit this place say that the area hold lot of potential for tourists and if the area is developed it can provide jo avenues for dozens of local youth.
They demanded that authorities must develop this area at an earliest so that it can prove beneficial for government as well as local people.
Pertinently, Aru is a tourist spot in Anantnag and is located around 12 km from Pahalgam, 11 km upstream from the Lidder River. Noted for its scenic meadows, lakes and mountains, it is a base camp for trekking to the Kolhoi Glacier and Tarsar Lake. The village lies on the left bank of the Aru river, which is a tributary of the Lidder river.
On contacting Chief Executive Officer, Pahalgam Development Authority, Mushtaq Ahmad Siminani, he said several proposals are under consideration.
“This area is being developed as a tourist destination so that it attracts more and more people,” added the CEO.
He said more and more steps are being taken to make the area more beautiful and attract more visitors to this place.
Jahangeer Ganaie
