Helicopter service to Gulmarg, Pahalgam from Srinagar launched
23 Nov 2015 6:06 AM IST
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Sunday flagged off a helicopter service between the summer capital of the state and health resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam in the Valley.
“To boost the appetite for Kashmir s exotic locales amongst affluent clientele, Sayeed flagged off the first-ever helicopter service to health resorts of Pahalgam and Gulmarg from Srinagar Airport,” an official spokesman said.
The CM interacted with the first group of tourists before the chopper made its maiden sortie to signal a new phase in tourism promotion of the state, the spokesman said. “Even though only a small fraction of travellers will take chopper rides initially, it is a big step towards positioning Kashmir as a high-end destination,” Sayeed said.
Describing the launch of chopper service and air safaris as a big initiative, Sayeed hoped that the service will have a multiplier effect with more and more upmarket travellers preferring chopper travel directly from the airport to Valley s premier tourist destinations like Gulmarg and Pahalgam to save on time.
Students made to wait in shivering cold for J&K govt function
In an embarrassing situation for the J&K government, a group of 30 young girl students were allegedly made to wait for several hours at the airport here in extreme cold on Sunday morning, as they were brought for a function to be presided over by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
A group of 30 seven-year-old girl students were brought to the Srinagar airport for a function of the state Tourism department at 7.30 am.
However, the official timing of the function was listed at 10.30 am. Sayeed arrived at the venue of the function at around 11.15 am, only to head for his residence.
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