With Article 370 gone, Maharashtra govt plans tourist resorts in J-K & Ladakh

Maharashtra tourism minister Jaykumar Rawal said a letter will be sent to J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik seeking land to build the resorts, a move which comes ahead of assembly polls in the state.

File photo of a family taking selfies under Chinar trees at a garden, during autumn in Srinagar | PTI

Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Jaykumar Rawal on Tuesday said the state government plans to build two tourist resorts in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Rawal, who holds the tourism portfolio, said a letter will be sent to Jammu and Kashmir Governor through his Maharashtra counterpart and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking land for the purpose, a move which comes ahead of Assembly polls.

The state government’s decision to build the resorts through the Maharashtra Tourism development Corporation (MTDC) comes in the wake of the Centre last month abrogating provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

With the revocation of these provisions, the bar on outsiders from buying land in Jammu and Kashmir, a major tourist destination, is expected to cease to exist.

The Centre has also bifurcated the border state which will lead to Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh becoming Union Territories on October 31.

Speaking to reporters here, Rawal said the MTDC board, in its August 28 meeting, decided to allot Rs 1 crore each for setting up the resorts in Srinagar and Ladakh.

“We are going to write to the Governor there through our Governor and Chief Minister seeking land. We have decided to buy either government or private land,” he said.