Panner Dam’s beauty beckons, but development lags

Tral, Feb 12: Surrounded by lofty pine trees and snow-capped mountains, Panner dam in Panner Jageer, an outlying village in south Kashmir’s Tral area, offers a surreal sight with its waters freezing into a thick sheet of ice.

The dam, nestled amidst this enchanting landscape, attracts both local and outstation tourists.

The dam was constructed in 1972 for irrigating sprawling agriculture farms.

However, its crystal clear waters, presenting a spellbinding view added to the scenic beauty of the area.

“Initially, it attracted locals to the area,” said Bashir Ahmad, a resident.

He said that later many tourists from other places also began to visit the place.

The entire area has immense tourist potential.

Besides Panner Dam, Tral has several other scenic destinations including Shikargah, Nagberan, Naristan, and Aripal.

“The entire area is enveloped by a thick forest cover, which adds to its natural beauty,” Ahmad said.

He said that with proper infrastructure and promotion, it could turn out to be a major tourist attraction.

Over the last few years, the government organised various festivals and programmes to promote off-beat destinations in an attempt to give a boost to the rural economy.

Shuja Reshi, a student from the area said that the authorities had claimed to have brought various destinations in the area on the tourist map including the Panner Jageer but nothing substantial had been done on the ground.

“There aren’t proper facilities including road connectivity, washrooms, and other amenities,” he said.

Reshi said that the area offered a perfect example of neglect.

MLA Tral Rafiq Ahmad Naik told Greater Kashmir that the roads leading to such destinations needed to be properly developed and maintained.

“Panner dam could be approached from two sides, but both the approach roads are lying in disrepair,” the MLA said.

He said that his priority was to macadamise the roads and develop other tourist destinations in the area.

“I have already talked to the concerned authorities about the issue,” Naik said.