Tourists demand rehabilitation of hilly tourist resorts

Islamabad: The tourists Monday demanded the concerned authorities to upgrade and continue the maintenance work on roads and motels located in the hilly tourist resorts of Daso as these were in shambles for over last ten years.

"The beauty of the Daso is unmatched with the name given paradise of earth which is being neglected after the earthquake". An archaeologist Samar Majid said that after the earthquake October 2008, there have been no efforts made to restore the place as it was once as the earthquake caused a huge loss to its beauty. "The region is not being given importance as per its potential.

The silk route which connects India, China and Afghanistan is a centuries old route and there exists rock inscriptions of universal importance", she added. "Kohistan is situated where Karakorum, Hindukash and Himalayas meet making it one of the unique mountain ecosystems of the world", a local tourist Erum said .

The green pastures, forests, unique species and majestic mountains make it literally heaven but the unpaved roads create a lot of hurdles for the tourists to cherish with the scenic spot, she remarked.

When contacted, an official of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) told APP that tourism has been devolved to the provinces (along with archaeology and heritage). "The Federal Government only has a coordinating role while additionally, PTDC is functioning under Cabinet Division, primarily to operate motels", he added.

PTDC also owns a roadside facility for tourist and the locations of resorts and hotels owned by the corporation have been visited by around 42,247 tourists during five years and visited different historical sites and scenic locations to relish ideal climate and peace of mountains and lakes. He believed that better transport and communication facilities can help boost local tourism in the country which would generate healthy amount of revenue.