By: Waris Fayaz
Tangmarg, Aug 25: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said Kashmir’s economic identity goes beyond tourism, asserting that farming, horticulture and industry remain major contributors to the Jammu and Kashmir economy.
Omar was speaking to reporters after laying the foundation stone for a new fruit and vegetable mandi at Wussan Bangil, Tangmarg, a project estimated to cost around Rs 15 to Rs 20 crore.
The Chief Minister said people outside Kashmir often view the region as an economy driven primarily by tourism and believe that it has little else to offer.
“We frequently tell them that farming, crops, fruits and the industrial sector hold a major share in our economy and then tourism,” he said.
Abdullah said the new mandi would strengthen the rural economy of the Gulmarg constituency and provide farmers with a nearby market for their produce.
“Farmers earlier had to transport their produce to distant mandis, but the new facility would enable them to sell their produce closer to home and secure better market rates,” he said, adding that the mandi would also help maintain the quality of agricultural and horticultural produce by reducing the need for long-distance transportation.
The Chief Minister said the project was significant for Tangmarg and Gulmarg, areas often viewed primarily through their tourism potential. “This fruit mandi will strengthen the sector and boost the rural economy,” he said.
Omar also said the government would improve the approach road to the mandi to accommodate the movement of heavy vehicles. The widening and blacktopping of the road would be planned to prevent inconvenience once the mandi becomes operational, he added.
Taking a dig at the opposition, CM Omar questioned why the long-pending mandi project had not been executed by previous governments despite the land being available.
“The land was here only, and nobody had illegally occupied it. Why did they still fail?” he asked, accusing the opposition of overlooking development works while raising issues against the government.
He assured that work on the languishing mini secretariat in the area would resume by the end of this year.
The Chief Minister said that he expected the Gulmarg constituency to emerge among the most developed of Jammu and Kashmir’s 90 Assembly constituencies over the next three and a half years. (KNO)
