Ghulam Nabi Azad to visit Kolkata to instil confidence among tourist

Kolkata, Jul 14 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is expected to visit Kolkata shortly as part of a confidence building measure among the people following the recent grenade attacks on tourists from the state in Srinagar.

State Tourism Minister Manab Mukherjee, who visited Srinagar following the violent incident in which seven tourists were killed, told reporters today that he had invited Mr Azad to convince the people about security measures in Jammu and Kashmir.

''Mr Azad will come to the city shortly. I have told him that there has been a panic among tourists from West Bengal following the recent incident. He will talk to tour operators and tourists to instil confidence among them for visiting the Kashmir valley,'' he said.

Mr Mukherjee said the West Bengal Government would not discourage the people of the state from visiting Kashmir, but it wanted security to be tightened for the safety of the tourists.

''During meetings with the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and high police officials I told them that they should give importance to security to gain the confidence of tourists, which they agreed,'' Mr Mukherjee said.

The Minister said the Jammu and Kashmir Government was of the view that those involved in grenade attacks were only 'local recruits' of extremists and they did not belong to any mainstream terrorist group. ''The Jammu and Kashmir Government has assured us that they will be able to control such incidents,'' he said.

''What appeared heartening to the J and K administration was that the local people were against such acts. They even chased and nabbed few of the culprits,'' Mr Mukherjee said.

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