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Centre must ensure tourist safety in Kashmir: Mamata after meeting Omar Abdullah
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she would try to visit Jammu and Kashmir after the Durga Puja festival
Kolkata: The Centre must take steps to ensure safety and security so that more tourists visit Kashmir, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday, adding that she “will try to visit Jammu and Kashmir” after Durga Puja in October.
Banerjee made the remarks after meeting Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah at the state secretariat in Kolkata.
“He has come here after the Pahalgam attack and invited me. I have accepted his offer. After the (Durga) Puja festival, I will try to go. We are ready to extend full support to Jammu and Kashmir. Our tourists will again visit Kashmir. There is nothing to be afraid of,” Banerjee said.
This was the first interaction between the two leaders after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed, including three tourists from West Bengal.
“Omar ji has assured that they will ensure security and make all arrangements for tourists. Meanwhile, the Centre also has to look into this. Kashmir is such a beautiful place — tourists from across the country want to go there. It (the Centre) should make arrangements and ensure security. Border security and internal security are not in the hands of Omar ji; they are in the hands of the union government. If required, the Centre should hold a meeting with Omar Abdullah and find a way to ensure security so that both domestic and international tourists may go there,” she added.
The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also inaugurated the Travel and Tourism Fair in Kolkata.
The two chief ministers said West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir would work more closely to boost tourism, trade, and cultural ties in the future.
“With Didi, my attempt would be that Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal work more closely in avenues such as industrialisation, trade, and tourism. I want more tourists from West Bengal to visit Jammu and Kashmir. It would be our responsibility to take care of them and make arrangements for them,” Abdullah said.
“We will work together on tourism and technical education. I would request for memorandum of understanding (MoUs). There must be more cultural exchange,” Banerjee said.
