Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday sounded a climate and economic warning for Jammu and Kashmir, which he feared would be affected by scarce snowfall and growing financial dependence on the Centre following the scrapping of its special status.
Omar said a decline in snowfall and receding glaciers were realities in Kashmir that could no longer be overlooked, regretting that he could not promote Gulmarg as a tourist spot without snow. He urged industry stakeholders to adopt innovative solutions, including the production of artificial snow, and modern technologies to sustain skiing and winter-based activities.
Kashmir has been reeling from a dry spell for the past two months, marking a departure from the days when the roads used to be covered with snow. The Valley is also facing a tourist drought in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people in April.
Efforts to revive winter tourism have been hit by a dry spell, although the weather office has forecast snowfall in the higher reaches and rain in the plains between December 21 and December 22.
“If I don’t have snow, I can’t sell Gulmarg. We see glaciers receding, snowfall reducing; these are facts we must confront,” Omar said after inaugurating the 17th annual convention of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar.
“The reality of climate change can no longer be ignored,” he added.
Omar’s climate alarm came days after earth scientist Shakil Ahmad Romshoo said the Valley’s key glacier, Kolahoi, had been retreating rapidly over the past several decades, having lost nearly 30 per cent of its area between 1992 and 2025.
The highest recession was recorded in the last decade, he said.
Omar also stressed the need “for sustainable, technology-backed and responsible adventure tourism in view of growing climate challenges”.
He said the Union Territory had faced a difficult year, and the recovery required collective effort and continued government support to ensure smooth and safe travel experiences.
“Only those in the tourism industry understand how hard it is to recover in such times,” he said.
He said the expansion of adventure activities such as paragliding, hot-air ballooning and structured training programmes to transform the region into a year-round adventure tourism destination could help boost tourist footfall.
The chief minister said Jammu and Kashmir’s financial dependence on the Centre had increased after it was made a Union Territory.
He was reacting to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement about the need for states to ensure fiscal discipline to reduce the debt-GDP ratio.