Kupwara, Feb 18 (KNS):  TP Drangyari, gate way to famous Bangus Valley has now become a new travel destination for visitors as the place recorded footfall of 30,000 after the opening of 3-day Kupwara Winter Carnival in January. 

The place is loaded with vast snow covered meadows, springs and snowmelt streams, but much awaited attention from administration was long overdue to this place to get explored as it remains shut during the winters. 

An official said that the area received heavy snowfall this year, and district administration accelerated its efforts to keep the place open in winters too.

“So far around 30,000 visitors have made it to Drangyari to enjoy the beautiful place and snow covered forests,” he said.

He, however, said TP Drangyari has no permanent settlement and was inaccessible in winters due to heavy snowfall. In summer, shepherds from the plains of Kupwara bring cattle for grazing and stay seasonally in the meadows of Bangus Valley. 

The recent festival by administration led tonunending queues of visitors and brought a ray of hope among the people living around. 

Dozens of stalls have been installed by locals to earn their livelihood by selling food items. 

The people living in the surrounding areas are overwhelmed to see the rush of visitors as they are earning employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, teenage brothers, who have installed a small tea stall said in the initial days they were earning around 15,000 in a day. 

“We are selling tea, eggs and other food items, a lot of people are visiting us, we express our gratitude to the district administration for making Drangyari accessible in winters and bringing it on the tourism map,” they said. 

Sameer Ahmed another resident of Drangyari, said that due to absence of work, they used to move outside the UT, but this winter they got an opportunity at doorsteps.

Executive Engineer Tourism Department Kupwara Farooq Ahmad Shah told KNS the administration is keenly monitoring the response of visitors, as around 50-100 people are traveling every day to TP Drangyari. 

“The recent 3-day festival acted like a catalyst in bring visitors to TP Drangyari. Locals with the assistance of administration have bought All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) to provide adventure to visitors.  Zipline is now functional, the connectivity is accessible, more importantly there are around 2 dozen food stalls installed by locals to provide food to visitors," he said. 

He said the tourism department with district administration is planning to conduct more events in the coming months to explore the tourism potential in the district. "We are using all resources to attract tourists to Kupwara," he added. (KNS)