Aharbal winter carnival witnesses glittering start to showcase tourist potential

Kulgam, Feb 24: The snow-capped mountains, well-manicured parks carpeted by snow, lofty pine trees, frozen streams and gushing water fall Saturday welcomed hundreds of people participating in a two-day Aharbal winter carnival organised by the administration.

Located some 30 kms from Kulgam town, Aharbal witnessed a flurry of events on the first day of the carnival.

The event was organised by district administration Kulgam in collaboration with Aharbal Development Authority, Tourism Department and Forest Division Kulgam to showcase and promote the tourist potential of the area.

It was inaugurated jointly by District Development Council Chairman Mohammad Afzal Parray, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Kashmir, Altaf Ahmad Khan and Deputy Commissioner Kulgam Athar Aamir Khan.

Famous for its roaring waterfall, the surreal beauty of the area offers a spell-casting view, attracting the tourists from across the globe.

“The main motive of this carnival is to celebrate winter and the tourism potential of this area”, said District Commissioner Kulgam Athar Aamir Khan.

He said that nature had blessed Kulgam with the treasure of unmatched beauty. “Apart from Aharbal, we have many other beautiful places like Gurawatan and Chiranbal in the area”, he said.

Khan said that upper meadows and glacial lakes nestled among the Pir Panchal mountain range in the area were exceptionally beautiful.

“This district has amazing tourism potential and the motive of this carnival is to showcase the tourist attractions of the area and invite more and more tourists to this place”, said Khan.

He said that the tourist destinations of the district made their place on the world tourist map.

Khan said that the carnival received an overwhelming response from the people.

“You see thousands of people have come here and are enjoying the scenic beauty and cultural programmes besides participating in winter games”, said the Deputy Commissioner.

He said that the administration had also circulated Google forms for the registration of trekkers and more than 700 to 800 professional trekkers registered themselves for the trekking expeditions on the very first day.

“And today morning trekkers set out for four different routes”, said the Deputy Commissioner. The carnival also witnessed a flurry of sports activities like snow cricket, snow rugby and tug of war.

A host of culture programmes by local youth, school children and CRPF personnel were presented.

A number of stalls were also set up by different departments including the Department of Horticulture, Handicrafts, Fisheries and NRLM were held to underscore the various government schemes.