The changed scenario
By: Dar Javed
Three years ago when Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was effectively abolished by the union government of India, many feared that the situation there would spiral out of control. Many people said then, Pakistani influence will increase in Kashmir. The former Pakistani High Commissioner appointed in New Delhi had spoken about many fears, starting from genocide, rivers of blood and even a nuclear war in Kashmir.
After August 5, 2019, these three years proved to be wrong. Jammu and Kashmir is much more peaceful now than it was in the past few decades. The valley is floating in the stream of development. Like other parts of India, the people of Kashmir are enjoying civil rights.
In the last two years, the law and order situation in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has improved significantly. The anti-militancy operations of the police and security forces are intensifying and frustrating the terrorists. The security forces are quite successful in countering terrorism in addition to stopping their attacks. The number of members of militant groups has decreased drastically.
Recruitment of new militants is almost stopped. Analyzing the statistics shows that incidents of IED, grenade or stone attacks are very less now – stop pelting has become a past history. Terrorism has reduced significantly since 2019 as Kashmiris now act as the eyes and ears of the security forces.
In the last two years, the people of Kashmir have got the security of their lives. The government has also taken several important initiatives for their economic development. Tourism and horticulture dependent development is getting cooperation. The government is giving importance to these two areas to increase employment and independence. According to many reports and also the Figures released by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) of the Jammu and Kashmir government indicated a rise in the tourist footfall observed in the Union Territory. In the year 2022 alone, around 1.62 crore tourists visited the place.
For a region that thrives majorly on the tourism economy, the data has conveyed an optimistic growth that translates into employment for many.
A return of the Golden Era?
According to a report, a record-breaking 20.5 lakh tourists, including 3.65 lakh Amarnath yatris, visited Kashmir in the first eight months of 2022,developments seen in the valley had drawn visitors from across the nation, which is conveyed through the all-time high tourist footfall.
All the Popular destinations / tourist spots like Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg had their resorts and guesthouses running with 100 per cent occupancy. It was viewed as the return of the golden era of Kashmir tourism after over three decades. A report by NDTV also suggests an overall development and change taking place in the Union territory with tourism being the biggest source of employment in the valley.
Another tourism related industry CINEMA halls are being opened now – Kashmir’s first INOX multiplex in Srinagar’s Sonwar area has come up. The multiplex will have three movie theatres with a total capacity of 520 seats. J&K has a long association with the world of cinema. The new film policy and facilities created has once again made J&K a favourite shooting destination and brought back the golden era of film-making in the UT.
Naya jammu Kashmir moved from being a laggard to a leader at national level. Right from strengthening democracy at grass-root level to Making Jan bhagidari” the lifeblood of governance in UT, the citizens are provided with an opportunity to participate in decision making and policy framing process. Hence these initiatives bridge the gap between locals and administration.
In sports Jammu and Kashmir is moving very fast to become the sports power in country . record number of sports stadiums have started sports activities and policy initiatives have been vital to encourage sports activities in valley.
Locals have been able to increase their income three-four times with the help of the government in apple, walnut, cherry, pear and flower cultivation. In addition to increasing production, the farmers are also getting the benefits of construction of cold storage, processing, transportation of crops to other parts of the country. New era of peace, development post Article 370 abrogation in J-K.
Under the vision of naya Jammu Kashmir, UT has been mapping new heights of developmental progress. Jammu and Kashmir is changing and it is important to map this change.
(Dar Javed writes on polity, governance Art and crafts. He is doing research on peace initiatives in Kashmir )
KV News
