SRINAGAR: The Kashmir Tourism Department on Tuesday prohibited school buses from entering the tourist destination of Gulmarg on weekends as part of regulatory measures to manage a high volume of visitors.
In an advisory, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Tourism Development Authority, Gulmarg, said that due to the high volume of locals and visitors visiting Gulmarg on weekends, it has become necessary to impose regulatory measures.
“Therefore, the heads of private/government schools of Kashmir Division are advised to plan their excursions on week days and not on weekends (Saturday or Sunday) for their own convenience and that of the local authorities,” the instruction stated.
The officer advised the schools to apply for prior permission of the development authority on its email gulmarggda@gmail.com or phone number 9622500725 at least one week before the excursion.
The advisory asked the schools to mention details, including the total number of buses, the number of students, and the mobile number of incharge teachers/staff.
“No school buses will be allowed to enter Gulmarg without prior permission of the development authority,” the advisory said.
It also advised the schools to limit the number of buses to less than four per school “as huge fleet of buses leads to traffic jam and congestion due to limited parking space in Gulmarg”.
Moreover, the children and accompanying staff shall be sensitised that Gulmarg is an eco-fragile zone and littering/use of plastic and polythene here is a punishable offence, the advisory read.
