Poonch’s Scenic Spots, Bureaucracy’s Blind Spot, Public Outrage Grows as the Tourism Department Fails to Maintain Even Basic Amenities
JJ Toseef R Ganai
Poonch : Noori Chamb one of Poonch’s most iconic and scenic tourist destinations is seeing a massive surge in footfall this summer. Yet, even as nature welcomes thousands of visitors with its breathtaking beauty, the Tourism Department of Jammu and Kashmir stands exposed for its sheer negligence, mismanagement, and absence from ground-level execution.
At the heart of this crisis is the Tourism Hut built at Noori Chamb, now in a state of total ruin. Tourists and locals alike have slammed the department, calling the structure a “ghost facility” abandoned, broken, and devoid of any basic amenities. It lacks water, electricity, sanitation, and even a motorable approach road. The walls are damp, windows broken, and its surroundings overgrown with weeds a stark contrast to the promises made in glossy tourism brochures.
Nearby, a beautifully designed Tourist Park adjacent to Noor Café, meant for families and children, also lies locked and inaccessible. The gate is chained shut, toilets are non-functional, and no staff or ticket window is present. Tourists, after a long and tiring journey on the Mughal Road, are left with no shaded resting space, drinking water, or even a clean washroom basic necessities any tourist site must offer.
“This is not a tourist facility; it’s an insult to the idea of tourism,” said Asha Mehta, a visitor from Punjab, who came with her family to witness Noori Chamb for the first time. “We were shocked to see the Tourism Hut locked and the park closed. What message are we sending to the world?”
While the Poonch Development Authority’s signboard outside the park lists rules for visitors including restrictions on littering, smoking, and plucking flowers there is no implementation on the ground. Instead, there is silence, locked gates, and a complete collapse of administrative will.
Locals argue this is not just a Noori Chamb issue – it’s a district-wide tourism disaster. “From Poonch Fort to Mughal Sarais, Nangali Sahib to Behramgala all our tourism treasures are being left to rot,” said Basharat Hussain, a civil society member from Surankote. “The Tourism Department is completely disconnected from reality. They only appear in conferences and social media campaigns.”
Despite repeated appeals by locals, traders, and even political delegations, the Department of Tourism has failed to appoint ground-level staff, maintain infrastructure, or create visitor-friendly services. Even emergency facilities like ambulances, tourist helplines, and first-aid points are missing from the site.
If Noori Chamb with its natural charm and strategic location on Mughal Road is suffering such administrative neglect, what hope remains for lesser-known tourism spots in the district?
Tourism Talk or Mere Tokenism? The Silence Is Deafening
What tangible initiatives has the Department of Tourism or district administration undertaken to genuinely invigorate tourism in Poonch? Which new trails, hidden gems, or cultural corridors have been mapped, developed, or even acknowledged? From the serene meadows of Sawjian and Loran, the heritage lanes of Mandi, to the mist-laced passes of Dera Ki Gali and Peer Gali which of these enchanting sites have found their rightful place on the tourism blueprint, or are they merely footnotes in forgotten files?
With the sacred Buddha Amarnath Yatra just around the corner, and lakhs of pilgrims expected to arrive, one cannot help but wonder: What shall they encounter here? A district brimming with natural splendour, or one plagued by administrative inertia? Will they experience hospitality, heritage, and harmony, or will they walk away with memories of locked gates, derelict huts, and missed potential? The questions loom large and the answers, tragically, remain elusive.
The message is clear, Poonch doesn’t need tourism speeches. It needs tourism action.
Until then, tourists will come with hope and leave with disappointment.There is growing public anger and a rising demand that the UT Government and the LG administration take immediate and decisive action.
