KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday requested the Centre to take urgent steps to ensure security of Jammu and Kashmir, saying this is essential to boost tourism in the region.

Banerjee held a meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Kolkata.

The Centre must take steps to ensure safety and security so that more and more tourists visit Kashmir. It must also strengthen border security in the region, Banerjee told reporters after the meeting.

Her meeting with Abdullah took place at the West Bengal state secretariat. It was the first interaction between the two chief ministers since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed.

The incident sparked national concern over the security situation in the Kashmir Valley.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed strengthening cooperation between Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal, particularly in the areas of industry and tourism.

"I want Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal to work in close coordination in sectors of industry and tourism," Omar Abdullah said after the meeting.

Banerjee said Abdullah had invited her to visit Kashmir, and she expressed her willingness to travel there after the Durga Puja festivities later this year.

The J&K chief minister's visit to Kolkata comes amid renewed efforts by his administration to boost tourism and investment in the Union Territory, which continues to grapple with security challenges in the aftermath of recent militant attacks.