SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir RTI Movement has issued a strong public appeal to the elected government and the Lieutenant Governor’s administration, urging the immediate reopening of major tourist destinations in the Pir Panjal range—Doodpathri, Tosamaidan, Yousmarg, and Aharbal—amid warnings of mounting economic and social distress in the region.
With over half of the crucial summer tourist season already lost, thousands of families dependent on these local economies are facing what the RTI Movement has described as a humanitarian crisis. These natural landscapes are not just scenic retreats but serve as the sole source of income for entire communities that rely on tourism for their survival.
Dr Shaikh Ghulam Rasool, Chairperson and Founder of the J&K RTI Movement and one of the most respected environmental voices in the region, questioned the rationale and legality behind the continued closures. He said the decision to shut these areas was not made by the people who inhabit and protect them, but by the government. Now, he argued, it is the government’s moral, constitutional, and administrative duty to take responsibility for the losses suffered by the residents, ranging from food vendors and pony handlers to women who make noon chai and ETV drivers. He warned that this is no longer merely about economic hardship but about the right to live with dignity.
Dr Rasool further highlighted that families are now pulling children out of school due to unpaid fees, some are going without meals, and many young men are being harassed by banks over unpaid loans taken for tourism-related vehicles. These tourist destinations, he said, form the economic backbone of the region, and the failure to reopen them has pushed residents into a spiral of debt and despair. He called on the government to immediately compensate the affected people, waive interest on their loans, and supply emergency rations. Otherwise, he warned, the region is no longer being governed as part of a developmental state but is instead slipping into a system of deliberate marginalisation.
Underscoring the irony of the situation, Dr Rasool reminded the authorities that the very communities now being penalised are those with a proven track record of environmental stewardship. For years, locals in Doodpathri, Yousmarg, and Tosamaidan have protected their natural surroundings through community-based conservation practices, not exploited them.
Junaid Andrabi, Convener of the RTI Movement, described the current scenario as a social emergency. He said that the ongoing bureaucratic silence is not just undermining incomes but also extinguishing hope and crushing educational aspirations. According to him, for people in these areas, summer tourism is not a seasonal luxury but a once-a-year chance to earn enough to survive the rest of the year. Now that this opportunity has been lost, families are left without alternatives.
Peer Ghulam Mohideen, Vice Chairman of the Movement, made an emotional plea to the government, saying that the people of Pir Panjal are struggling to afford food, school fees, and even basic medicines. He urged immediate intervention and reopening of the tourist destinations, warning that further delay would cause irreversible damage to lives and futures.
The Pir Panjal tourism economy, unlike large commercial hubs, is hyper-local. It is built on handmade food stalls, eco-tourism vehicles, pony rides, and family-run tea shops. Most families earn their livelihood between June and September, using that money to survive the harsh winters. That entire seasonal cycle has now been disrupted, collapsing the economic ecosystem of the region. Many ETV drivers are now unable to repay loans taken for vehicles that have remained idle all season. Despite their financial distress, banks continue to demand repayments with interest.
The Jammu and Kashmir RTI Movement’s legal team, led by advocates Mujtaba and Naveed Bukhtiyar, announced that they are monitoring the situation closely and preparing legal measures. They said they are allowing the administration a reasonable window of time to reconsider the closures. If no action is taken, the Movement said it will approach the Court. According to the legal team, the selective and prolonged closure of these destinations is not only arbitrary but also discriminatory and a clear violation of both economic and fundamental rights. They further demanded that the government immediately announce a comprehensive compensation package, waive interest on loans, and offer a clear policy framework in consultation with local stakeholders.
Dr Rasool also questioned why other tourist destinations across Jammu and Kashmir have been reopened while Doodpathri, Tosamaidan, and Yousmarg remain closed, despite a long history of peaceful tourism activity in these regions. He asked why the government is unwilling to engage in dialogue with the communities, choosing instead to punish them through silence. “This is not governance,” he said. “This is abandonment.”
In a final appeal, the RTI Movement urged the government to shift its attention from institutions to the people most affected. “Listen to the woman who has been cooking roti for tourists for ten years. Listen to the ETV driver whose child is now out of school. Listen to the family selling tea under a walnut tree in Doodpathri. These are not statistics. These are citizens. And they deserve better,” the statement said.
The RTI Movement has submitted six key demands to the administration: the immediate reopening of Doodpathri, Tosamaidan, and Yousmarg for regulated tourism; a comprehensive compensation package for all affected residents; emergency ration and income support for tourism-dependent families; an interest waiver and EMI moratorium for ETV drivers and others; transparent policy discussions with local stakeholders; and, if necessary, a judicial review of the closures.
As Dr Shaikh Ghulam Rasool concluded, “This is not a protest. This is a plea for justice. The people of Pir Panjal are not asking for favours. They are asking for the right to work, the right to educate their children, and the right to live with dignity. Governance must mean something real to the people on the ground. If your decision harms the poorest, your responsibility begins there, not ends there.”
