JAMMU, Jan 31: The Patnitop Hotel & Restaurant Association has drawn the attention of the Jammu and Kashmir administration to serious infrastructure and disaster-management shortcomings at Patnitop, which came to the fore during the recent spell of heavy snowfall between January 23 and 29.
A delegation of the Association, led by its President Lovnesh Rao Sathe and accompanied by Gaurav Gupta, BJP Spokesperson and Convener, International Affairs, called on the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, who is so called Chairman of Patnitop Development Authority and submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting the hardships faced by tourists, hoteliers and local stakeholders during the snowfall period.
The President of the Association apprised the Lieutenant Governor that Patnitop, the only major hill station of Jammu province with year-round tourism potential, witnessed near-complete disruption as key roads remained blocked for days, power supply snapped for nearly 72 hours and water supply was severely affected.
The absence of dedicated snow-clearance machinery and heavy equipment resulted in prolonged road closures, particularly on the Kud-Patnitop stretch, leading to massive traffic congestion and stranded visitors.
The Association further informed that several tourists who had arrived prior to the snowfall or through the Gondola were left stranded with minimal administrative support. While some hotels managed partial arrangements using diesel generator sets, fuel shortages compounded the crisis, worsening the situation for both visitors and hospitality operators.
They added that despite the existence of the Patnitop Development Authority, the delegation noted that on-ground development remains limited.
The memorandum stressed the need for urgent measures including permanent deployment of snow-clearance machinery, strengthening of power infrastructure to withstand harsh weather, resolution of chronic water scarcity, development of organized parking facilities, upgradation of key roads, revision of the master plan, despite spending Lakhs for its revision since year 2000, otherwise allowing building bye laws of Master Plan of 2000 on today is totally illegal & unjustified, establishment of a fire station, market infrastructure, ATM facilities at Patnitop, and dedicated traffic management during peak tourist seasons.
It was also pointed out that Patnitop lacks basic financial infrastructure, as the only ATM facility is located at Kud, forcing tourists to travel downhill which also affect tourism & by which role of CEO of PDA is in question, as no engineering wing under PDA's control.
The delegation included Vikram Sharma, Vice President; Syed Ali Jaffery, General Secretary; Abhishek Gupta, Secretary; and Executive Members Romesh Gupta, Shiv Magotra and Bhawani Singh.
|