Why Gulmarg’s cleanliness is everyone’s duty

By: Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili

Gulmarg. The name conjures images of pristine snowfields, emerald meadows framed by snow-capped peaks, and gondolas gliding through crisp mountain air.

It’s “The Meadow of Flowers,” a jewel in Kashmir’s crown and a dream destination for skiers, trekkers, and nature lovers worldwide.

Yet, beneath this breathtaking facade lies a harsh, increasingly visible reality. Gulmarg is struggling with plastic bags snagged on wildflowers, discarded wrappers litter ski slopes, overflowing bins spill their contents, and stray dogs forage in waste piles. The question screams for an answer: Why? And where does the blame truly lie?

The uncomfortable truth, want to point out, and introspect starts with us, but it certainly doesn’t end there. The buck travels a long, winding, and neglected road.

True First: I Start with Myself – The Careless visitor & Resident, the primary source of litter is us – the people. Whether resident, vendor, tourist, or pilgrim, fundamental civility and responsibility are often glaringly absent. Carelessness & callousness is the root. The mentality of “someone else will pick it up” or “it’s just one wrapper” is pervasive.

People consume snacks, drinks, cigarettes, and simply drop the waste where they stand, even when a bin is literally meters away. Picnics leave behind trails of plastic, food scraps, and bottles. The sheer disregard for the environment that sustains Gulmarg’s beauty and economy is staggering.

Gulmarg’s silent scream, plastic, stray dogs , and our neglect .Beyond carelessness, there’s active irresponsibility. Tossing waste out of car windows, dumping household garbage on roadside verges instead of designated points, and leaving camping sites littered are acts of environmental vandalism. The lack of personal ownership and pride in keeping one’s surroundings clean is a critical failure. Plastic menace, the single-use plastic (water bottles, wrappers, bags, cups) is the most visible pollutant. Its lightweight nature means it blows everywhere – into forests, streams, and meadows – where it persists for decades, leaching toxins and choking wildlife. The convenience for the user translates into long-term disaster for the environment. You see plastic, bottles, wrappers everywhere on green grass like a black spot on the face. The buck moves with systemic failures & broken infrastructure. We all collectively and individually are wishing and requesting tourist return, meadows are calling you.

While individual behaviour is the spark, my observations about dustbins are painfully accurate. Grossly inadequate & poorly placed bins there simply aren’t enough dustbins, especially in high-traffic areas like the skiing zones, popular trekking trails, and market areas. When bins are present, they are often placed illogically, not where waste is generated in large volumes. Many existing bins are damaged – lids missing, sides broken, holes rusted; this renders them ineffective waste spills out or blows away easily, and animals (dogs)can easily access the contents. Bins overflow for days, maybe sometimes weeks and waste piles up around them, creating mini landfills. Public spaces, gazebos, pathways, and even the edges of the golf course often show signs of neglect with horse dung everywhere smearing the roads and atmosphere stinking with pungent odour. There’s an apparent lack of regular, systematic sweeping and cleaning crews dedicated to keeping the core areas pristine beyond just bin collection.

The single paid washroom near parking places though hygienic and clean but space constraint causes mixing of genders and broken bolts (latches) defeat the purpose of privacy in available  public conveniences. The proliferation of stray dogs, which you notice everywhere, is directly linked to the waste management crisis. Dogs scatter waste from bins and piles, spreading filth over a wider area as they forage. Their presence is a visible symptom of the underlying sanitation disease.

One of the most disturbing experiences during my recent visit to Gulmarg was the sudden loud sound, people bursting firecrackers by a group of children that irritated both civilians and security personnel. The loud explosions caused panic and discomfort among visitors, shattering the peace and natural charm of the place. Such incidents not only disrupt the serene environment but also send unnecessary fear signals and palpitations, especially among vulnerable groups and weak hearts like me warrants immediate ban on firecrackers at tourist destinations.

Let’s walk the extra meter in keeping Gulmarg spotless, together with the Buck Stops… Everywhere? Responsibilities shared & shirking, so, where does the buck stop? It stops at multiple doorsteps responsibility is not of Gulmarg Development authority only but, every Individual (Resident, Tourist, Civil society member, Worker) for lacking basic civic sense, littering, and not demanding better for choosing convenience (plastic) over responsibility. The buck starts here too with local shopkeepers & vendors for generating significant waste (packaging, food scraps) and often failing to manage it responsibly, sometimes dumping it haphazardly. For selling excessive single-use plastics without providing disposal solutions. Tour Operators & Hoteliers should take some responsibility for not adequately educating tourists, not providing sufficient waste disposal options on tours or at properties, and sometimes prioritizing profit over sustainable practices. They benefit immensely from Gulmarg’s beauty and have a duty to protect it. My humble request to the local Administration (Municipal Committee) for PDCA -plan to check and act on the critical gaps  in planning and execution. This includes inadequate bin provision and maintenance, inefficient, under-resourced, or poorly managed waste collection and transportation. Lack of enforcement of littering laws (if they exist and are known) or is there insufficient cleaning staff and resources for public spaces. Lack of effective public awareness (billboard) campaigns leads to failure to implement and enforce plastic bans effectively. Lack of a sustainable long-term waste management plan (including segregation, processing, and landfill management).Parking at Gulmarg must be outsourced, as vehicles are parked haphazardly. In emergencies, people often find their cars blocked, leading to unnecessary stress and frequent verbal or even physical altercations. Proper management is essential to ensure safety, order, and smooth movement for all visitors.

Finally, the supervising authority is the Tourism Department and GDA Gulmarg Development authority for promoting Gulmarg ensuring the infrastructure (including waste management) scales proportionally to handle the influx. What needs a strong push integrating strict environmental guidelines into operator licensing. Litter Free Gulmarg: It’s not just a wish, it’s a responsibility.
The way forward cleaning the Gulmarg requires a multi-pronged assault where everyone takes ownership. Implement and rigorously enforce hefty fines for littering and improper waste disposal (by individuals and businesses). Revolutionise waste infrastructure. Install abundant, sturdy, animal-proof bins where needed. Timely frequent, reliable collection schedules with adequate capacity, especially during peak season. Explore compactors. Establish material recovery facilities (MRFs) for segregation and recycling. Encourage using three Rs of waste disposal. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle—promote a sustainable approach to minimizing waste by cutting down consumption, repurposing items, and turning materials into new products. Strictly enforce bans on single-use plastics. Promote alternatives (reusable bottles, cloth bags). Install water refill stations. Continuous, multi-lingual campaigns targeting tourists and locals. Use signage, social media, announcements, and involve schools and community leaders. Form active committees involving residents, hoteliers, shopkeepers, tour operators, and NGOs for monitoring, feedback, and clean-up drives.

Reclaiming the Meadow-Gulmarg’s picture on waste disposal is a stain on its natural splendour and a threat to its very future as a premier destination. The buck starts with the careless individual tossing trash on the ground instead of walking to a bin. It passes to the vendor dumping waste unchecked, the tour operator ignoring the mess, and crucially, stops decisively with the authorities failing in their fundamental duty to provide bins, collect waste efficiently, enforce laws, and plan sustainably. The stray dogs are merely the most visible symptom of this systemic neglect. Cleaning Gulmarg demands an end to the blame game and the start of collective, accountable action. Every stakeholder, starting with each person, me first  who sets foot on its soil, must take responsibility. Only then can “The Meadow of Flowers” truly bloom again, free from the choking grip of its own waste. The beauty is worth the effort, but the effort must begin now, and it must begin with honesty about where the buck truly stops.