SRINAGAR: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday slammed the Jammu and Kashmir government’s decision to outsource a golf course located in Srinagar, alleging that the assets of Jammu Kashmir were being put on sale.
Reacting to the latest order on the Srinagar Golf course, Mufti said that the sale of Royal Golf Spring is another example of how the administration is “developing” this region post August 5, 2019, a PDP statement read.
There were speculations that the Jammu Kashmir admin is going to outsource the Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar. “Everything has been put on ‘sale’ “; she alleged and said, “This is yet another step to sell our assets to non-local businesses”.
The former Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister said that Kashmir is the oldest golfing destination not just in South Asia but perhaps East of Suez. Gulmarg, Kashmir Golf clubs are the second oldest after Calcutta. Our golf clubs are not merely real estate as the Government of India is treating the state as an essential part of our identity and heritage.
She said, if the present administration finds the maintenance difficult because of its inherent inefficiency and agenda, it should focus on improving the organization running golf courses and hire experts from anywhere.
“Whether in Jammu or Kashmir, selling golf courses is unacceptable, as we’ve witnessed that this outsourcing generally ends up in ownerships and is irreversible”, she added.
Tourism being our key sector, the order says, many properties of JKTDC and the tourism department are being given out. This happens at a time when they are not renewing the leases with the local hoteliers, in Gulmarg, she alleged.
She said this looks like taking every important avenue from our hands. On the one hand, poor people are being hounded out of what has been theirs for generations, and on the other premier assets are up for sale.
“The August 5 decision led to rampant exploitation of land resources, jobs, and rivers in the region, with outsiders being given preference over locals. This has resulted in a rise in unemployment, drug abuse, mafia activities, environmental degradation, and above all dispossession and dis-empowerment of locals”, she added.
