On Tuesday, several parks in Jammu and Kashmir’s tourist destinations, including some in Pahalgam, which had been closed following the April 22 terror attack, were reopened to the public. This move was met with enthusiasm by both tourists and local visitors, who quickly flocked to the parks.
In response to the reopening, security personnel were heavily deployed around the parks to ensure safety and foster a sense of security among visitors. The closures were a direct consequence of a terror attack in Baisaran meadows, Pahalgam, a popular tourist spot, where twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had announced on Saturday the phased reopening of 16 parks – eight in the Jammu region and eight in the Kashmir Valley. The first phase saw the reopening of eight parks in the Kashmir valley. These included Betaab Valley and parks near Pahalgam market, Verinag, Kokernag, and Achabal gardens in Anantnag district, as well as Badamwari Park, Duck Park near Nigeen, and Taqdeer Park near Hazratbal in Srinagar.
Concurrently, eight destinations in the Jammu region were also reopened: Sarthal and Dhaggar in Kathua; Devipindi, Siyad Baba, and Sula Park in Reasi; Guldanda and Jai Valley in Doda; and Pancheri in Udhampur.
At Verinag, a well-known park in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, a large number of schoolchildren greeted arriving tourists. Visitors expressed their delight at the reopening. A tourist from Patiali, Punjab, told PTI videos, “We were already feeling good and happy to have come here, but the reopening of the park and the welcome we got is very nice.” Barkat Ali, a tourist from Bikaner, Rajasthan, added, “We are happy that this park opened after so many days. We have come here with our families and we will visit the park to show them beautiful Kashmir.” Another tourist from Punjab described the experience as “wonderful” and “the best experience which we cannot express in words,” appealing to others to visit Kashmir.
Tourist police personnel were also on hand to assist visitors, and local MLA Ghulam Ahmad Mir welcomed the reopening of the parks.
