Prevailing tension: Tourism dept slows down development work near Suchetgarh border

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 19

The continuing tension between India and Pakistan along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir UT has forced the Tourism Department to slow down the renovation and infrastructure development work at Suchetgarh border, a major tourist destination.

Officials said with Pakistan regularly targeting border outposts of the BSF and civilian areas on the IB, security agencies have told the executing agencies to avoid major construction works for now.

The Suchetgarh octroi post is about 30 km from Jammu.

“We have been told to slow down the work. No major construction is being carried out for now,” said a senior official in the Tourism Department.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has sanctioned Rs 11.61 crore for developing Suchetgarh as a border tourism destination under the Swadesh Darshan scheme in 2018.

Although after the abrogation of Article 370, the daily tourist inflow has not been affected much as batches of visitors, including schoolchildren, visit the area with certain restrictions placed by the BSF, security offices say the situation could turn hostile anytime as Pakistan Rangers and army violate ceasefire routinely.

“So far we are allowing visitors, but a close watch is being kept on enemy movements. The post has seen a few ceasefire violations as Suchetgarh is the entry point to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). But you never know how enemy will behave,” said a BSF officer.

Successive governments in erstwhile J&K state had announced several schemes since 2004 to make the Suchetgarh crossing another Wagah-like point on the IB, Pakistani’s support to cross-border terrorism had washed away any such hope for more than 14 years.

………box…. Imp trading point

Before Partition in 1947, Suchetgarh was an important trading point between Sialkot (West Punjab) and Jammu, the winter capital of the erstwhile Dogra rulers. After the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, the then state government submitted a plan to the Centre in 2005 to develop it on the pattern of the Wagah border crossing in the Amritsar sector. However, not much progress was made and only 50 per cent of the infrastructure has been completed so far.