Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has issued prohibitory orders to ban trekking and camping activities in parts of Kashmir valley amid “serious security concerns” and “threat to public safety”.The ban which was earlier imposed in Tangmarg area in the lap of the Pir Panjal mountains in north Kashmir was also clamped in Kokernag of south Kashmir that falls on the border with the volatile Chenab valley of Jammu.An order issued under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita by the Kokernag sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Prince Kumar on January 2 cited “recent incidents of individuals attempting to cross police checkpoints during late-night hours”.Section 163 of the BNSS, the newer version of the colonial-era Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, grants extraordinary powers to the executive magistrates to issue “urgent orders to prevent nuisance or danger”.Referring to police inputs, the SDM said: “Unrestricted movement of individuals in these…high-altitude and forested areas…could adversely affect public safety and security”.“Therefore, in exercise of the powers under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, I hereby order that trekking, camping, hiking and similar outdoor activities are hereby prohibited in the areas of Margan Top, Chauhar Nag and Sinthan, with immediate effect,” it said.The highways to the high-altitude passes of Margan Top and Sinthan Top which connect the remote Kishtwar district’s Chatroo and Marwah subdivisions with Kashmir valley wind up through the dense forests of Kokernag.The surroundings of these two passes are home to more than a dozen alpine lakes including the Chauhar Nag, Shil Sar and Nagputin clusters, Nil Nag, Zambaksh Sar and others which are popular destinations for both locals as well as tourists.Kausar Nag. Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 4.0.Urging compliance, the SDM warned of legal action while directing the station house officer of Kokernag’s Larnoo area to implement the order and monitor the movement of commuters.Kokernag falls on the border with the Chenab valley of Jammu region which comprises Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban and Reasi districts.Operations and training programmesSome of these Jammu districts have witnessed a spike in militancy-related activities in recent months, leading to deadly attacks on security forces and civilians.The army, J&K police and other security forces are carrying out massive operations in search of suspected militants who are believed to have taken refuge in the higher reaches of Chenab valley, according to the intelligence agencies.Earlier this week, the army organised a civil defence training programme for residents of Doda district as part of a Union-government scheme which was revamped following the reading down of Article 370 in 2019.In a statement on December 31, the army said that 17 villages in Doda were being covered under the scheme to recruit locals as ‘Village Defence Guards’, a civilian militia which was first set up in J&K in the early 1990s and later disbanded amid accusations of rights abuses against its members.The prohibitory orders in Kokernag have been issued at a time when tourist footfall in Kashmir has been witnessing a gradual increase amid New Year celebrations which was marked by fresh snowfall in some tourist resorts of the valley including Sonmarg and Gulmarg.A view of the snow-covered area on the first day of the year, in Gulmarg, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. Photo: PTI/S Irfan.The advisory came out days after the authorities in north Kashmir, home to the ski resort of Gulmarg, imposed restrictions on trekking activities in the upper forest areas of Tangmarg.In an advisory on Monday, the Baramulla police urged local residents to “obtain the requisite permissions” while non-local tourists were strictly barred from the upper Tangmarg forest reaches “to prevent security-related misunderstandings and avoid any untoward incidents”.“Baramulla Police has appealed to the public to cooperate with the instructions, emphasising that the measures are aimed at ensuring safety, maintaining a secure environment, and preventing any security misinterpretations in sensitive forest zones,” the advisory noted.In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attacks, more than four dozen out of 87 destinations were closed for tourists amid apprehensions of more such attacks. Later, some of these destinations were opened to the public as the security situation showed signs of improvement in Kashmir.