Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said his government was working to extend Kashmir’s tourism season beyond the traditional spring and summer months by developing new attractions during autumn, as he opened the Chrysanthemum Show 2026 at the Botanical Garden in Chashma Shahi, Srinagar.
The Chief Minister also visited Beerwah in Budgam district, where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for infrastructure projects worth around ₹25 crore, including a bridge, power facilities and town beautification works.
Speaking at the Chrysanthemum Theme Garden, popularly known as Bagh-e-Gul-Dawood, Omar said the government wanted to create distinctive attractions that would encourage tourists to visit Kashmir during different seasons.
“We have been trying to increase our tourism season. You must have seen that many people visit the Tulip Garden at the beginning of the year. But during autumn season, we have tried to add something special to show to people,” he said.
The garden, spread over 100 kanals, features approximately 3.5 lakh locally produced chrysanthemum plants belonging to more than 70 varieties, with nearly 12 million blossoms in shades of yellow, red, pink and purple.
Developed by the Department of Floriculture, Parks and Gardens, the attraction has been expanded this year with additional flower beds, landscaped displays, water features, selfie points and improved visitor facilities.
Omar said the garden, introduced last year, was intended to complement Srinagar’s famous Tulip Garden, which draws large numbers of visitors during spring.
“This is the second year of bloom at Bagh-e-Gul-Dawood in Srinagar. This garden was started last year, and the purpose was to mark the beginning of our tourism season and to mark the end of the year in Srinagar,” he said.
Highlighting the advantage of locally produced chrysanthemums, the Chief Minister said much of the planting material could be propagated within Jammu and Kashmir, reducing dependence on outside sources.
“We will try to do something new in this garden every year,” he said, inviting residents and tourists to visit the floral exhibition and capture photographs as souvenirs.
Earlier, during his visit to Beerwah, Omar inaugurated a two-span truss girder bridge over Nallah Sukhnag, constructed at a cost of ₹8 crore. Each span of the bridge measures 35 metres.
Describing the bridge as a long-pending public demand, he said its opening would improve connectivity and ease movement for residents.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stones for the beautification of Nallah Sukhnag and Beerwah town at an estimated cost of ₹6.33 crore. The proposed works include walkways, lighting, riverfront decks and other public amenities.
In a major push to strengthen electricity infrastructure ahead of winter, Omar laid the foundation stone for a Transformer Repairing Workshop at Beerwah, approved at ₹4.85 crore under the UT Capex Budget 2026–27.
The facility is expected to repair and rebuild around 1,000 damaged distribution transformers annually, helping reduce delays in restoring electricity supply during breakdowns.
He also laid the foundation stone for a 10 MVA Receiving Station at Sail, Beerwah, at a cost of ₹4.50 crore.
The receiving station is expected to reduce the load on neighbouring facilities, improve voltage levels and address winter overloading in Sail and adjoining villages.
Omar said the receiving station was expected to become operational within four to five months and stressed the need for early completion of the transformer repair workshop.
“God willing, we will complete the workshop as soon as possible,” he said.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for a Sub-Divisional Office building at Sonpah, Beerwah, sanctioned at ₹82.29 lakh, to improve administrative functioning and public access to government services.
Senior ministers, legislators and officials accompanied the Chief Minister during the twoprogrammes.
