Drass, July 10 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that sports is a means to attract players of national and international fame, promote tourism, which would give an impetus to the economic activities and result in the development of the potential of the existing population.
Abdullah was speaking after inaugurating the Lalit Polo Tournament in Drass of Kargil district near the India-Pakistan border on Saturday.
"Drass is known as the second coldest place where people reside, other than this reason it was not a much famous place. We want that Drass should come in the line of tourism and should be known for its scenic beauty and for welcoming of guests. Polo is a historic game here, it did not start in Delhi or big cities, it started in places like Drass and Mongolia," said Abdullah.
"But this game was dying in the region so, we are making efforts to re-introduce the game with such tournaments and we are hoping that this will save the game as well as promote tourism in the region," he added.
Eight teams participated in the tournament and the players appreciated the efforts that were made to organise the tournament.
"After the 1999 war, this area depreciated and the region faced losses due to the war with Pakistan, people had to leave their homes, they lost their livestock and everything was lost. So, now I am happy that this polo tournament is being organised here since the last three years," said Mohammad Ishaq, a polo player.
"And the people living in this region are benefiting from these matches especially the polo players and a large number of tourists are arriving in the region," he added.
Drass is a small region, with a population of less than 17,000. The game of polo here dates back to the 17th century. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
