Bhaderwah, Jan 10: High altitude snow destinations along the Bhaderwah-Pathankot interstate highway have, of late, become the darling of visitors due to the mundane beauty and fresh snowfall, coupled with round-the-clock foolproof security and hospitality of the local vendors.
Despite harsh weather, strong security provided by the Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police and hospitality by locals help overcome initial fears, allowing tourists to enjoy natural beauty and activities like snow play.
Since the last 15 days, the snow destinations along the Bhaderwah-Pathankot Highway have become immensely popular among the visitors, as despite recent terror activities in the forests of Kishtwar and neighbouring Kathua and Udhampur districts, the Police by its presence has provided the much needed sense of security to the tourists.
SP Bhaderwah Vinod Sharma said, “Bhaderwah is one of the most beautiful destinations and attracts tourists in large numbers, but when high altitude mountains surrounding the valley start receiving heavy snowfall, it becomes very challenging for us from a security point of view because visitors love to venture into snow-filled meadows and passes, especially along the Bhaderwah-Pathankot Highway and Bhaderwah-Chamba interstate road.”
He said that despite recent snowfall and harsh weather conditions with sub-zero minimum temperature, we have maintained round-the-clock vigil and provided security cover in the high altitude tourist destinations like Guldanda, Panj Nallah, and Chattargalla located at a height of 9555 feet, 10,200 feet, and 11,000 feet for the visiting tourists so that they can feel completely secure here.
Tourists were all praise for the locals and the Police for making their visit secure and comfortable by extending all the help despite the high altitude.
“We were a bit skeptical about the safety concerns before coming here, but after reaching Guldanda and visiting Chattergalla Pass, all our fears fizzled as the security provided by J&K Police along these snow-covered passes is so good that we are enjoying it to the hilt, and the hospitality of locals has made our visit memorable. We would surely love to visit Bhaderwah again,” said Vishal Sharma, a tourist from Maharashtra.
“We got all the support from the J&K Police. There are enough check posts, but the friendly attitude of local Police made our trip more enjoyable, as for us to get to see snow and that too in a safe and secure environment is what we expect,” said Satish Singh Jhadav, a tourist from Gujarat.
Local stakeholders and tourism strategists said that they also owe the recent boom in the industry to timely snowfall on high-altitude destinations and security provided by the J&K Police there.
“Earlier, we only used to see the Army in high altitudes during this part of the year when there is snow, and the temperature is sub-zero. However, this time, despite limited resources, J&K Police is doing a commendable job by providing round-the-clock security at high altitude destinations,” said Rashid Choudhary, a tourism strategist from Bhaderwah.
“The secure environment provided by the J&K Police is surely an added bonus for the tourism industry here as the first concern of any visitor is their safety, and we must appreciate the SOG unit of the J&K Police for doing the needful,” Choudhary said.
According to the President Vendors Association, Guldanda, Yasir Wani, thousands of tourists have visited the destination since the last 15 days after the first snowfall.
Overwhelmed by the footfall of visitors, the Tourism Department and district administration of Doda has decided to organise a two-day winter festival at Guldanda on January 17 and 18th.
