Amid renewed peace, homestays come up for tourists on Indo-Pak border
With peace returning to Indo-Pak border since the renewed truce deal of November 2021 between the two nuke countries, tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir can now have the feel of border life.
With peace returning to Indo-Pak border since the renewed truce deal of November 2021 between the two nuke countries, tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir can now have the feel of border life.
The Samba district administration in consonance with tourism department has launched a slew of initiatives to promote border tourism.
From homestays to rejuvenation of historical shrines and new road networks, the Samba administration has been focusing on initiatives that attract tourists to the Indo-Pak border.
Buoyed by the initiatives of the administration, 32-year-old Sunny Choudhary, a B.Tech in computer sciences, has come up with a homestay at Dagh village, barely 2 km from zero line.
“During annual Baba Chamliyal mela, tourism cooperative society, of which I am a member, informed us about homestays and coined the idea. Since we had constructed a new house, I carved a homestay out of it and named it Smriti homestay,” he said.
“It has Wi-Fi, a gym, hygienically home cooked food and a pollution-free border life,” he added.
The J&K administration recently consented for the construction of homestays in the vicinity of the Baba Chamliyal shrine in Ramgarh sector to boost border tourism.
Choudhary’s homestay also has air-conditioned rooms.
Former Sarpanch of Jerda village, Mohan Singh Bhatti has also refurbished a bunker in the verandah of his house for the tourists, who would like to have a feel of living inside a bunker.
During Indo-Pak skirmishes, the villagers take refuge in these bunkers, which were sanctioned by the Centre and constructed by the public works department.
“I have refurbished a bunker in my house for the tourists to have a feel of it. We are ready to welcome the tourists. We will provide them with a home-like atmosphere with home-cooked food,” said the septuagenarian.
These villages are barely one to two km from the zero line. Pakistanis on other side of the border can be seen farming and tending to daily chores.
Bhatti also informed that a community bunker in his village was well-maintained and equipped with modern facilities.
“In the past, peace was fragile here. Our houses are literally on the zero line. Whenever Pakistan opened fire and shot mortars, we took shelter in these bunkers. They are life saviours for us. Tourists can have a feel of it,” he said.
Samba district has 55-km-long border with Pakistan with around 40 villages meandering along it.
Samba deputy magistrate Abhishek Sharma said, “The government has accorded priority to border tourism. We took some initiatives around six months back with an aim to develop a border tourist circuit.”
He informed that as part of border tourism promotion, the administration has been reviving historical shrines which are 500 to 200 years old.
“We are also roping in entrepreneurial farmers and youth to become tour guides. We are also encouraging homestays. The administration has also reached out to the BSF for allowing tourists for sight-seeing and to visit their posts. The BSF is also keen on it,” said Sharma.
“To hook them, we are integrating facilities and within two months they will be in place. These initiatives would also improve socio-economic condition of the border populace,” said Sharma.