Some J&K areas with large exploitable Commercial & Pilgrim Tourism potential ‘cry’ for due CARE even in 2024

DAYA SAGAR

Most of the backword and diffcult 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 resources in 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 Maharaja 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 along routes spots but but even nearly 7 decades of independence there are no meaningful / workable road infrastructure & facilities for recreation of tourist , joymaking , advanture , heath tourism and holidaying there. Noappreciable/ notable attention worth making good the shortfall has to be still paid to these .The status even in 2024 of proposed Basoli <Bani> Bhaderwah road project ( under execution) and the high potential summer / winter tourism sites along the alignment that have potential for commercial as well pilgrim potential speaks well about the fate of such areas. A good infrastructure would have been developed with just around s.1000-1500 Crs had the areas been duly cared after independence /during earlier times but now incase in 2024 competitive tourism infrastructure & envronment is to be created / developed in areas outside kashmir valley , there may be utmost need to pump in around min of Rs 20000 Crsto 25000 Crs out of the state exchequer in addition to private sector investments in next 4 to 5 years to catch on the lost pace. The locals of such area may have lost over Rs.25000 – 35000 crores that they would have earned through direct / indirect means over the last 7 decades had the business in that area 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 to J&K .Surely only governments of the past like that of Mufti Mohd Sayeed and the Congress- NC Governemnt that followed in 2008 can not be solely blamed for all this . New Delhi could argue that planning for local infrastructure is the responsibility of State Government . But New Delhi can not 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 wellas the J&K Government to make good the losses suffered. The local civil society that also has many retired bureaucrats and technocrats too needs to work out and push inand follow proposals for 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’ ( of less than 100 km ) atleast not even ib last two decades. (The writer is a Sr Journalist and Social Activist).