DH NEWS SERVICE
JAMMU, Mar 10
An urgent meeting of the Executive Committee of the Dogra Sadar Sabha (DSS) was held today upon the return of its President, Th. Gulchain Singh Charak, from his tour outside J&K UT. The committee convened to consider various aspects of the Union Territory Budget presented by the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who also holds the Finance portfolio.
The Budget included some new forward-looking initiatives, such as the Shakti Sadans, PoJK Bhawan, grid connectivity to Shri Amarnath Shrine, and an increase in pensions for all categories. The DSS expressed hope that this would also encompass annuities for Gallantry Awardees and their war widows. However, provisions like old age homes and free bus rides for women in state-owned buses were deemed to have an impact that is more cosmetic in nature.
The recent strides in development, such as direct railway and roadway connectivity to Katra and the Valley, have had significant adverse side effects on trade and commerce in the Jammu region. The hotel industry, transporters, traders, and small shopkeepers are facing severe financial distress and are on the verge of bankruptcy. The current budgetary allocations to address these issues were criticized as being too meager to be compensatory.
The members voiced their disappointment over the budget’s apparent imbalance, which they felt was conspicuously tilted towards one region. While the budget provides for further enhancement of well-developed tourism infrastructures in spots like Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg, Doodhpathri, and Kokernag, areas like Kishtwar, which have immense tourism potential, were nearly ignored. Similarly, Sanasar, Nathatop, Padri, and Sarthal, which could be developed as ski resorts, were left out. The allocations for preserving historical monuments and water bodies in the Jammu region were also deemed inadequate.
Moreover, there is considerable scope for the development of religious tourism to build package tours in regions like Nowshera, Rajouri, and Poonch, including sites such as Shiv Khori, Budha Amarnath, Shahdra Sharief, Nangali Sahib, and Peer Baba. Other religious circuits like Purmandal, Utterbehni, Sudh Mahadev, Sukrala Mata, and Machail Mata in the Jammu region could attract significant pilgrim footfall if properly developed.
The DSS members expressed their dismay over the fact that political representatives from the Jammu region have not effectively raised these issues. The region covers 63 percent of the UT’s landmass and 75 percent of unexplored mountainous areas that hold vast tourism potential. The restoration of the Mubarak Mandi complex remains uncertain, with more structures collapsing each monsoon, while many old forts and shrines are in a state of neglect. Initiatives such as the Tawi Lake, Kandi region irrigation, lift water canals, and vertical parking slots in Jammu and other towns were dismissed as mere fairy tales and unfulfilled promises.
The DSS emphasized that Jammu division can only be compensated by developing these areas to balance the Kashmir-centric policies that have prevailed so far. Regrettably, the current budget does not reflect any significant departure from such policies, offering only superficial and symbolic gestures.
The members also highlighted the plight of the Ramban area, which has suffered from dangerous landslides and the sinking of villages due to ill-planned road construction. The budget’s apparent neglect of this region was strongly condemned, with DSS describing it as treating the population there as “children of lesser gods, destined to perish.”
Prominent participants included Col. Karan Singh (Retd), Adv. H. C. Jalmeria, G. A. Khwaja, Gambhir Dev Singh, Col. Dr. Virendra K. Sahi VrC (Retd), Maj Gen. Sunita Kapoor VSM (Retd), Prof. Anita Billawaria, Mrs. Uma Katal, Dr. Nasib Singh Manhas, Arvinder Singh Amn, Amanat Ali Shah, Narinder Singh Jamwal, and others.
