Suhail Rather

Bandipora, May 31(KNS): Two brothers from Zurimanz hamlet in North Kashmir's Bandipora district created the first-ever shikara and launched it in Wular, the biggest freshwater lake in Asia, in an effort to boost tourism at the well-known Wular Lake.

Firdous Ahmad Bhat, 42, and Ghulam Hassan, 40, came up with the idea to improve their means of sustenance and entice more visitors to the lake.

Sharing his efforts ,Firdous said it took them many days to build the shikara with the aim of attracting tourists to the lake and add to new paradigm to the village life and sustenance. The Mansar cites is dream for the nature lover's to see various birds visa vis aquatic beauty and our endeavor was to explore the ways for this end, and we succeeded he added.

They said , Zurimanz has a vast potential of tourism and by way of tourist foot fall in the area many unemployed youth can get employment. We are have sure that the Shikara we introduced in the lake will earn us livelihood.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

"Wular is a beautiful lake. Visitors or tourists who visit to Kashmir from different parts of India must enjoy the beauty fresh lake as it has all the beauty to add to enthral nature lovers," said Firdous.
He also highlighted the need to save the lake from pollution, as it is not only a source of income for thousands of fishermen but also a vital part of the ecosystem.

An official of WUCMA told that the department has made four more shikaras available, which will be provided to the locals so that more jobs will be generated in the village besides will help in exploring the lake's beauty.

Locals laureled the brothers' efforts, with many hailing it as a great step towards revitalizing the lake.

Tourists from outside have also started arriving in the village after people took note of them on social media.

The introduction of the shikara is a step towards promoting sustainable tourism and raising awareness about the importance of preserving the lake's ecosystem. (KNS)