MITHI: Social activists, members of civil society and local Tharis have demanded Sindh chief minister and minister for culture and tourism set up a tent city at the foot of picturesque Karoonjhar hills as a short measure to provide thousands of tourists, who continue to pour in to Nagarparkar after recent heavy rains, a place to spend the night.

They advised the Sindh government to erect the tent city before the Independence Day celebrations when the number of visitors to the area was most likely to multiply.

Kirshan Sharma, a social activist, told Dawn on Saturday that he had written a letter to the director general of Sindh Rangers requesting him to increase number of personnel posted at two check-posts at Veera Wah and the entrance to Nagarparkar town so as to help expedite the process of checking and registration of tourists and their vehicles before they were allowed to move on.

These days hundreds of people had to wait for hours in their vehicles in long rows before the check-posts to get through the cumbersome process, pouring cold water on their festive mood, he said.

“Tharis are not against the deployment of Rangers at the check-posts, they just want creation of more counters to expedite the process,” he said, adding that he had also requested Sindh Minister for Culture Syed Sardar Shah to encamp in Thar for a few days and ensure provision of facilities to tourists like the proposed tent city.

Abbas Khoso, another activist from Nagarparkar, demanded the chief minister pay a visit to the hilly areas in person and announce setting up of the tent city, especially during the celebrations of Independence Day, when thousands were likely to land in the area for sightseeing in the lush green hilly region and its historical sites.

“Many people have to spend nights in the open or huddled inside their vehicles due to lack of guesthouses in the area. Besides, the number of tourists this year has seen an exponential rise due to unprecedented promotion of the area by common visitors through social media and massive coverage by media of Thar after rains,” he said.

He said that he, along with a number of notables of the area, met Syed Sardar Ali Shah in Karachi three days back and asked him to request the chief minister to provide maximum facilities to tourists.

Mr Khoso said the minister responded positively to their request and said his ministry was in touch with DG Sindh Rangers to address complaints of tourists and locals regarding the cumbersome process of registration and checking of tourists and vehicles.

Javed Samoon, a resident of Nagarparkar, said that there was greater need to set up stalls at picnic points like Gorri-Jo-Mandar, Bhalwa, Bhodesar and other points across Thar to help locals earn livelihood as well as facilitate visitors.

He pointed out that NGOs working in the desert region could play a crucial role in creating awareness among locals about how to take maximum advantage of the situation by selling to tourists their local products like mushrooms, honey and vegetables along roads throughout Thar.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2017