- Unjustified to drop Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch rail line from National Projects lists merely on financial grounds
- In 2012, Centre decided to list long pending Jammu- Poonch Rail Link as National Project entitled for priority with special financial provisions
DAYA SAGAR
Let us have a brief look into the pilgrim tourism & commercial tourism potential and the scope for value resorts that exist on this side of Jawahar Tunnel including that in the Pir Panchal region in Rajouri- Poonch stretches of J&K worth drawing the attention of GOI to immediately reverse the decision for dropping the Jammu- Rajouri-Poonch rail line the survey of which was completed by 2018 sand take up the said rail line estimated to cost around INR 25000 cr for execution ( of which a good portion will also directly or indirectly add to the economic health of local population even during construction of the project).
The local population otherwise also is required to be additionally compensated for the short fall in economic development over the years which has been more due to fair treatment not given to these areas.
Most of the backword and difficult areas of UT of J&K lie outside Kashmir valley. These areas do have good pockets / spots worth development as tourist resorts/for developing as regular tourist destinations for summer / winter tourist too although the visitors may enroute face a little rough climate during summers in comparison to Kashmir valley but instead this region is blessed with more of pilgrimage places near to worth exploitation through adequate development as potential tourist destinations. This way there exist multi dimensional scope for carrying the visitors / likely tourists/ pilgrims in and around areas of Jammu region where a good number of adventure sports as well as cable car projects too could be promoted worth boosting the economy of local areas since inspite of there being some rough areas still a high order pilgrim as well as commercial tourism could be promoted. But that did not happen even after 1990. Governments of Maharajas of J&K of pre 1947 times with limited financial resourcesin hand and primitive technologies available could still lay / construct many difficult links like (a) The Banihal Cart road (BC Road – the Banihal Tunnel has been added in last six decades by India ) , (b) Jehlum Valley Road (132 miles connecting Srinagar with Kohala) , (c) link with Rawapindi via Uri ( then in Muzaffarabad ) , (d) Poonch was well linked with Uri/ Baramullah/ Valley. (e)Route to Ladakh via Kishtwar- Paddar- Zanskar ( route followed by General Zorawar Singh in 1936/ 1941 ), ( f) Bhadarwah was linked with Chamba in Himachal by road and g) One bridle road connecting Srinagar with Leh via Yojila pass and a pacca road to Gilgit, ( h ) Bandipur- Galgit road was running over Burzila pass and was 193 miles long ( it was a bridle road in 1941 and state maintained 165 miles and rest was maintained by the British India government ). August 1948 Pakistanis had occupied most of the northern part of J&K State including part of Ladakh and Burzila & Yojila passes. General Thimayya planned an offensive and light tanks were carried to Srinagar and from there to Yojila pass at a height of 11000 ft on the road tracks laid by the earstwhile princely state of J&K and Indian troops could take complete control of Yojila pass. Where as in the Independent India the neglect of the farflung rural areas over last over 55 years was exposed ( Feb 2005) when even the minimum communication infrastructure was found badly missing during February 2005 snow carnage in Doda / Rajouri areas ( the real ground situations of some areas were known to the district administration after more than a month ) .
Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar, Bhaderwah, Udhampur-Reasi, Kathua districts of Jammu region have many ex[oitable cool and pleasant spots along routes but even nearly 8 decades of independence there are no meaningful / workable road infrastructure & facilities for recreation of tourist , joymaking , advanture , health tourism and holidaying there in even Pir Panchal and Chenab Valley regions . Appreciable/ notable attention worth making good the shortfall has still to be paid to these areas .The status even in 2025 of proposed Basoli Bhaderwah road project ( under execution) and present status on development of the high potential summer / winter tourism sites along the alignment that have enough unexploited potential for commercial as well pilgrim tourism speaks well about the neglected meted to the areas around. Similarly the areas in Rajouri and Poonch districts too have unimaginable large potential for pilgrim tourism and commercial tourism ( Baba Budda Amarnath Ji Mandi , Ram Kund in Mandhir Poonch, Nangli Sahib Gurudawara, The Ziyarat Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah (R.A) Shahdara Sharief near Rajouri , Doodadhari Temple Rajouri, Gurudwara Chhati Padshahi, Balidan Bhavan,RamaTemple, Jama Masjid and Shiv Mandir. Kotranka Budhal 40 Km from Rajouri, Poonch Fort , Noori Chamb less than 46 km from Poonch Surankote, Bufliaz about 40 Km from Poonch, Nandishool waterfall 12 kilometres from Loran , Loran a small village 34 Km from Poonch, about 40 Km from Poonch is Than Pir, Dhanidhar Fort Rajouri Dist , like )as well as summer/ winter commercial tourism in upper reaches with enough possibilities of further connecting with Kashmir Division through Mugal road / other routes ( 84 Km from Buffliaz is Shopian. Mughal road connects beautiful locations including Buffliaz, Behramgala, Chandimarh, Dugran, Pushana, Chatta Pani, Mansar, and Peer Ki Gali.). A good infrastructure would have been developed with just around INR 1000-1500 Crs had the areas been duly cared after independence /during earlier times but now incase in 2025 competitive tourism infrastructure & environment is to be created / for developed in areas in Jammu division outside kashmir valley , there may be utmost need to pump in around min of INR 20000 Crs to 25000 Crs out of the state exchequer in addition to private sector investments in next 5 to 10 years to catch on the lost pace. The locals of such area may have lost much more than even INR .35000 – 40000 cr that they would have earned through direct / indirect means over more than last 7 decades had the business in these areas been promoted with improved tourist flow as well better surface communication. Where as,so far no real benefit has come to the common people of such areas proportionate to thousands of crores of financial assistance extended over the years by Government of India .Surely only governments of the past like that of Mufti Mohd Sayeed and the Congress- NC Government that followed in 2008 cannot be solely blamed for all the fall back . New Delhi could argue that planning for local infrastructure is the responsibility of State Government. But New Delhi cannot deny that the superior civil servants in J&K are from GOI/ Central Government Services who hold the superior and decisive positions as regards planning and implementation of programmes. So some short fall as regards assessment of priorities has to be debited to the account of New Delhi as well. Leads need be taken from the Government of Himachal Pradesh and fellow Himachal citizens by the people outside Kashmir Valley as well as the J&K Government to make good the losses / shortfalls . The local civil society that also has many retired bureaucrats and technocrats too needs to work out and push in and follow proposals for sanction & implementation by the government. How serious and concerned are people of Himachal Pradesh could be seen from the way they handle huge tourist traffic in so narrow lanes and hilly roads in tourist destinations like Macledganj, Dalhousie, Dharamsala. The lack of concern on the part of local governments so far could be well gauzed from the fact that every second day ‘leaders’ talk of Basoli Bani > Bhaderwah track and people have been receiving only statements and no meaningful progress on this ‘road’ atleast not even in last two decades. ( of less than 100 km). Had British seen only commercial profitability there would have been no rail line to Shimla ( Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96.6 kilometer long a single track working rail link was built in the mid-19th century), no line to Darjeeling ( nineteenth century and like.
(The writer is a Sr Journalist & a known analyst of J&K affairs)