Parts Of Gulmarg, India's Finest Skiing Destination, Declared Strategic Area For Army
NDTV
The army already has a presence in both places where it is running high altitude warfare schools.
The snow covered peaks of Gulmarg and Sonmarg - long visited by tourists - could now see more army presence. The government has allotted 129 acres of land in Gulmarg, India's finest skiing destination, and 44 acres in Sonmarg, to the army for operational and training requirements.
The decision, which has sparked concern, has been taken by the J&K Union Territory government which notified the land as "strategic areas" after a request by the army to use it for military purposes.
Both the areas have largely remained free from conflict. The army already has a presence in both places where it is running high altitude warfare schools.
In 2020, the government amended rules in Jammu and Kashmir, authorising the administration to notify "strategic areas" for use by the armed forces and regulating construction through a special dispensation.
