In the backdrop of the attack on tourists in Pahalgam, the J&K forests department has decided to close all its trekking destinations for tourists.
The trekking routes of forests are located in every district of UT and for the past three years locals as well as non-local tourists were trekking on these routes and with every passing year the number of trekkers was going up especially in summers.
Most of these routes are off-beat locations in Jammu and Kashmir and trail deep inside forests providing a thrilling experience to the adventure seekers, trekkers and the tourists who are aficionados of nature’s wilderness.
“We have decided to close all our trekking routes after the attack on tourists in J&K,” said a senior J&K forest department official on anonymity. “The decision to open treks for trekking will be taken after assessment of the situation,” he added.
Meanwhile, police in every district have been asked to compile the list of trekking routes both long as well as short which leads deep into forests. “I was asked by police officers about the trekking routes which we usually take in different districts, especially my home district,” said Tariq Ahmad, an avid trekker of North Kashmir.
The trend for trekking picked up among both locals and non-locals especially after the government opened 100 new tourist destinations in J&K for tourists, explorers and trekkers last year.
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These tracks opened in the past three to four years and had been into six circles – Srinagar, South, North, East, West and Chenab circles with each circle having more than 10 identified trekking routes. North circle which comprises Baramulla and Kupwara districts and has highest 26 identified routes – some close to the Line of Control. Similarly, Srinagar and south circles have more than 20 routes. In Jammu division, as many as 24 trekking routes in the forests of Jammu, Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Kishtwar and Doda have been identified.
“Only for Great Lakes and some other long trekking routes we needed to get permission. Now it will all be closed,” said Jalal Jeelani, a prominent trekker of Pathfinders group. “Even from past few years tourists have been trekking at Kashmir Great Lakes in hundreds. Now everything will be closed. Nobody would want to take a risk,” he said.
Kashmir is known for its trekking routes especially Tarsar Marsar, Famber Valley, Kulgam Alpine lakes, Kousarnag, Chornar lakes Kishtwar, trans Himalayan trek from Kishtwar to Panikher, Ladakh. The famous virgin snow-fed lakes that are part of the journey of Kashmir Great Lakes are Kishansar, Vishansar, Gadsar, Satsar, Nundkul and Gangabal has seen many tourists and trekkers in past few years. Some of these lakes are home to famous trout species. Trekkers often take the opportunity to catch the fish in these lakes at altitudes between 3,500 to 3,800 metres and satisfy their taste buds
Not only trekking routes, in the last five six years the government with the help of the army had opened several tourist destinations close to the Line of Control in north Kashmir which attracted good numbers of tourists, especially outsiders. Though the government is yet to take a call on those destinations, many tour operators, who fear the restrictions, could go further up. “After this attack many restrictions will be imposed on tourist destinations which are far-off as nobody wants to take the risk,” Omar Ahmad, a tour operator in north Kashmir, said.