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Jammu: L-G inaugurates Retreat Ceremony on Internation Border
A structured parade by BSF personnel will be a regular feature and the allied infrastructure will come up in due course of time in this region of Jammu, an official said.
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, on Saturday inaugurated the retreat ceremony at the octroi border outpost of the BSF along the International Border in RS Pura sector of Jammu.
The retreat ceremony will be held twice a week by the BSF men on the Indian side on Saturdays and Sundays at 5.15pm, said a senior BSF officer.
“It is a historic occasion for all of us,” he said and added that “a structured parade by BSF personnel will be a regular feature and the allied infrastructure will come up in due course of time”.
A local resident and a progressive farmer Rohit Choudhary, 30, of Suchetgarh said, “Though it is going to be a one-sided affair in absence of Pakistan Rangers, it is a big development for us in the border area.”
Another resident Surjeet Singh, 47, said, “Being farmers, we are now hopeful that tourists coming here to witness retreat ceremony will also take home our basmati rice with them. We also hope to see more restaurants and water parks coming up here.”
He added, “However, a lot needs to be done. The road has to be expanded to four lanes. There is no infrastructure at the border post for those who would like to witness the ceremony.”
Suchetgarh is about 27km from Jammu and served as a route to Sialkot (now in Pakistan) during the pre-Partition era.
On July 4, 2016, the then Jammu and Kashmir government had launched border tourism at the octroi border out post.
