Gifted with natural beauty and immense potential, north Kashmir’s Kupwara district in the last couple of years has emerged as the best offbeat tourist destination following the introduction of new eco-tourism initiatives attracting visitors from various parts of the country and abroad. At a distance of some 100 Kilometers from Srinagar, the frontier Kupwara district has earned its name for most preferred offbeat unexplored destinations of late. The naturally rich scenic beauty of the district has largely remained untouched for the want of required attention. This district has exhibited its tremendous potential to be developed into a breathtaking tourist destination. From the hidden gem of ‘Bangus Valley’ to the pictures valley of ‘Lolab’, Kupwara has got a colossal tourism arsenal at its disposal the pristine forests, eye-catching mountains and luxuriant meadows have it all to weave a web around the mind and heart of any visitor. The district is blessed with scintillating natural beauty and abounds with dense forests, lush green valleys, enchanting meadows, imposing mountains, gushing streams, shimmering lakes, and rich & varied wildlife. Every locale of this district is enchanting and mesmerizing and beckons nature lovers. All spectacles of nature be it a village, plain, hill, mountain pasture, or meadow are eye-catching and worth seeing. In a much-awaited initiative, Kamraj Forest Division, the headquarters of which is located at a distance of almost 2 kilometres from main town Kupwara, is identified one of the most prolific Forest Divisions in the North Circle located in the Northern albeit remote District, Kupwara of Kashmir has earned a name for working towards exploring the potential of beautiful destinations to attract tourists. The Division hovers its wings on a significant forest cover of Kupwara and extends its boundaries to forests of Baramulla as well as Bandipora districts covering an area of about 85805.0730 hectares. It has six forest ranges viz. Kupwara, North Lolab, South Lolab, Kandi, Machil and Special Ranges. The Division is blessed with profuse coniferous and alpine forests, lush green meadows, rich wildlife and various wetlands to add to its diversity. The people of Kupwara and those associated with tourism activities, in particular, have been fortunate enough to have had the most dynamic and enthusiastic officer at the helm of affairs in the form of a Bhaderwah-born Forest Officer – Divisional Forest Officer – Zahid Aslam Mughal heading the most prolific Kamraj Forest Division. Moghal, a man of sheer intellect and understanding of things, helped the frontier district to boast about its tourism potential to catch the people by surprise. Moghal has been credited with identifying the scope of eco-tourism in Kupwara.
“The Forest Department aims to make Kupwara a tourist hotspot by ensuring the entire required infrastructure, ambiance, state-of-the-art facilities and above all, the conservation of forests which remains their prime job and a duty. Through the conservation of green gold, not only the district will thrive economically but will also eradicate poverty, unemployment, and most importantly, ecological balance. The initiatives will prove to be more beneficial and result-oriented only if the general masses co-operate with the authorities to keep alive the wings of hope to reach the destination, we all have dreamt of ‘Making Kupwara a Global eco-tourism Hotspot.’”
The celebrated officer significantly helped in the development of the tourism sector ultimately helping in the generation of income, sustainability of the environment, political enablement of local societies as well as educational purposes. Some of the eco-tourism initiatives during the tenure of Moghals include, Nagriwari Park, Satbaran Park, Montane Park, Kairwan Park, Affan Warnow, Sogam Park. Some Trekking routes were also developed for offbeat enthusiasts aimed to attract, increase the tourist footfall in Kupwara district offering them a wide range of thrill and excitement. The eco- tourism parks managed to attract close to 50,000 tourists both locals and those who arrived from various parts of the country. The trekking routes of 58 kilometers in different areas also reminded many with offbeat destination enthusiasts relishing their moments. Development of trekking routes and Eco Parks have also resulted in generation of livelihood in the villages on forest fringes through homestays, nature guides, trek operators, food stalls and forest souvenirs. For the first time, the unique initiative of homestays also gained immense momentum with visitors preferring staying there instead of other places to enjoy the offbeat destinations. Homestays were initially started as a trial which later turned out to be a mega-hit resulting in expanding the operations and roping in many places like Machil sector, Affan Warnow, Kumkadi Hyhama, and a few other places. The homestay concept in border district Kupwara has resulted in ever-increasing tourist footfall compared to previous years. Apart from tourism, the adamant attitude of Moghal against the forest damage has instilled fear among the nefarious jungle smugglers which has assuaged the forest damage to an extreme extent in the district. The Forest Department aims to make Kupwara a tourist hotspot by ensuring the entire required infrastructure, ambiance, state-of-the-art facilities and above all, the conservation of forests which remains their prime job and a duty. Through the conservation of green gold, not only the district will thrive economically but will also eradicate poverty, unemployment, and most importantly, ecological balance. The initiatives will prove to be more beneficial and result-oriented only if the general masses co-operate with the authorities to keep alive the wings of hope to reach the destination, we all have dreamt of ‘Making Kupwara a Global eco-tourism Hotspot.’
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