CM Omar Abdullah should catch on project ‘one state, one global tourist destination’ for areas in Chenab Valley, Pir Panjal & Shivaliks
Prime Minister Modi again becomes 1st to place on board the idea of ‘one state, one global tourist destination’
DAYA SAGAR
Like the areas lying in districts like Kathua, Udhampur, Kishtwar & Doda 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 scope for 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 a few thousands INR 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 development in such 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 and surely some more in case World Class acceptance is to be the target. 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,sofar 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&development 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 reasonable amount of short fall as regards assessment of priorities has to be debited to the account of New Delhi as well. Leads need be taken by the people outside Kashmir Valley as well as the J&K Government to press for 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. 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 Basohli Bani > Bhaderwah track and people have been receiving only statements and no meaningful progress on this ‘road’, 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. Recent ‘dropped’ Jammu Poonch rail link via could a quote which was in 2012 taken as a notion project. This line too should be included in the project “one state, one global tourist destination”.
Otherwise also had the areas referred herein been given timely inputs for development of communication and tourism infrastructure the inputs would have been not less than a lakh of cr INR so now in case that inputs are made that would not be something very extra to give for GOI/ UT government .
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should hence catch the bull from the horns for taking on the projects worth getting through.
Narendra Modi ji isEx-officio chairperson of NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog by virtue of hisbeing the is Prime Minister of India and it is he who has given the call while addressing the 10th General Council meeting of NITI Aayog on 24ththat <“States should develop at least one tourist destination per state at par with global standards and by providing all facilities and infrastructure – One State: One Global Destination. It would also lead to the development of the neighbouring cities as tourist places,”> so Omar has to take the call worth placing the project before him for which PM would surely be obliged to extend all supports, yes the project has to be sound and the J&K areas outside Valley surely qualify for that. Ball is now in Omar’s court, will he ?
(The writer is Senior Journalist and analyst J&K affairs)
