Tourists avoid the “Mini-Gulmarg” because of its poor condition.
Insufficient amenities are also caused by poor connectivity.
JAMMU, June 30: The government of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is anticipating financial support in the amount of Rs 40 crore from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to improve the condition of the Patnitop-Sanasar road as the current situation is discouraging tourists from visiting the area, which is otherwise being marketed as “Mini-Gulmarg” by the tourism department.
A vast cup-shaped meadow surrounded by enormous conifers is the most exciting aspect of Sanasar, a stunning resort 19 kilometers west of Patnitop.
The Department of Tourism advertises it as “Mini-Gulmarg” because it has characteristics with Gulmarg, including a reasonable height that permits both summer and winter adventurous sports. Sanasar is a popular destination for visitors to Patnitop due to its alluring beauty.
To guarantee that Sanasar receives a lot of visitors, the Directorate of Tourism Jammu works hard every day. However, only 50% to 60% of visitors arriving in Patnitop chose to visit Sanasar due to the appalling state of the Patnitop-Sanasar route. The BRO is in charge of maintaining the first 10 kilometres, while the Roads and Buildings Department of the Government of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is in charge of the remaining kilometres.
While the BRO meticulously maintains the first 10 km in accordance with the Army’s requirements, the R&B Department merely does patchwork on the remaining stretch, which would otherwise sustain damage with just one bout of heavy rain and pose significant challenges for tourists. Even the BRO-maintained stretch is not ideal for tiny cars and is only appropriate for large ones.
According to official sources, the Roads and Buildings Department prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) a number of years ago that suggested concreting the road rather than blacktopping at a cost of Rs 27.27 crore.
They added that “the Administrative Secretary of the department is vigorously following the project in the Ministry so that sanction is accorded as soon as possible.” Currently, the Roads and Buildings Department has again prepared a DPR for concreting a 9 km stretch at a cost of Rs 40 crore and submitted the same to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
The majority of visitors turn around after going a few kilometres on the Sanasar road, according to an officer overseeing the activities of the tourism department in Sanasar, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Furthermore, he added, “All the tourists reaching Patnitop will prefer to visit Mini-Gulmarg only when there is proper road connectivity.” “We are conducting so many activities during the summer months to attract tourists in large numbers, but tourism promotion is directly linked with better road connectivity,” he continued.
He acknowledged that the lack of sufficient services at Sanasar and along the route going to this location was caused by poor road connection. The officer remarked, “We’ve also heard that R&B Department has approached MoRTH for approval to concrete the road. Hopefully, the project gets approved shortly.”
When contacted, an R&B Department officer stated that the MoRTH will be providing financial support in the amount of Rs 40 crore for the development of a nine-kilometer section. He said, “In the interim, we have floated tenders for routine maintenance of the road.