International flights from Srinagar airport soon, J

Srinagar, Jun 4 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said International flights will soon start operating from the Sheikh-ul-Alam airport here.

Talking to a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tourism, Culture and Transport headed by Chairman Sitaram Yechury here, Mr Azad said the enhanced air connectivity is imperative for promotion of tourism in the state.

He said with the completion of terminal building at Srinagar airport soon international flights would start operating from here adding that other airports in the state were also being upgraded.

The Chief Minister stressed the need for operating 50-seater aircraft on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh-Srinagar route which, he said, would go a long way in boosting tourism in Ladakh region.

This will also facilitate local population especially during winter when the Srinagar-Leh highway gets closed for a prolonged period.

The highway had been declared as National Highway-1D and double-laning and improvement work had already taken off. He said the project also includes construction of a tunnel through Zojila to make it an all-weather road.

The Chief Minister apprised the members of the committee about the highest priority accorded by his government to connectivity, saying within next four years all villages of the State would be connected by roads.

Dependable and improved road and air connectivity for a place like Jammu and Kashmir was imperative for its socio-economic development, he added.

The development of tourism sector, he said, was also a focused area for the government and about two dozen tourism development authorities had been set up to develop and upgrade facilities and amenities at various tourist resorts in the state.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee members, on a week-long visit to the State, apprised the Chief Minister about their visit to Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Royal Springs Golf Course, Hazratbal, Ali Masjid and Nageen Lake.

UNI BAS SV ND1840