Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that there is a need to develop the infrastructure at the picturesque ski resort of Gulmarg to make it a world-class destination for the skiers.
The Chief Minister who is in Gulmarg to attend the concluding function of the 5th edition of Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) said this in reply to a question on Wednesday.
“It is true that there is no match of Gulmarg for conducting winter games”. Omar said and added “But it is also true that there is a dire need to expand the infrastructure so that to organise the games in a big way in future and make it a world-class destination for the skiers”.
He said this is the fifth consecutive year that Gulmarg is hosting the KIWG. Earlier it was not seen that the games were possible this year due to less snowfall on the slopes of Gulmarg.
“Thanks to Almighty that sufficient snow was received in Gulmarg and we could organise these games in which athletes from all across the country participated”, Omar said.
“We want to uplift the local skiers by helping them and providing them training and this year we are going to consult a trainer and will develop Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Doodpathri for skiing courses, ” he said