| Cruises on Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi rivers: Govt plans to open 3 national waterways soon | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 9: Jammu and Kashmir’s rivers are set to become highways for travel and tourism.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo has directed officials to open the Union Territory’s national waterway projects to the public next year, and has asked them to meet the target through tighter coordination.
Chairing a high-level meeting in Srinagar, Dulloo reviewed the operational readiness of the projects. The Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi waterways have been given a deadline of the 2026-27 financial year. The meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Public Works Department, the Chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the Divisional Commissioners, the Transport Secretary, and officials of the Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Limited and other departments and agencies.
Dulloo told both Divisional Commissioners to review the projects in their regions regularly and to make periodic site visits. Most of the issues holding up the work, he said, are small and can be settled locally. He asked the administration and the implementing agencies to resolve them together and without delay.
The Chief Secretary said the waterways could open a new chapter for tourism and urban transport in the Union Territory. River cruises, he said, could become a major draw for visitors and offer an alternative means of transport in congested urban areas.
He urged officials to plan waterway development around river tourism, passenger movement and the need to ease pressure on the road network.
IWAI Chairman Sushil Kumar Lohani said the Jhelum (Nationa The Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi waterways are given a deadline of the 2026-27 financial year.
Waterways could open a new chapter for tourism and urban transport in the Union Territory.
River cruises could become a major draw for visitors and offer an alternative means of transport in congested urban areas.
Cruise routes and terminal sites have also been identified on the Chenab and Ravi. Three concrete pontoons are due to be completed by December 2026.
The Jhelum waterway runs 110 km from Sangam Bridge in Anantnag to Wular Lake. The Chenab stretch covers 53 km from Reasi to Akhnoor, while the Ravi waterway extends 44 km from Chamba Dam to Ranjit Sagar Dam at Basohli.
The Jhelum is the most advanced of the three. A 106-km cruise route from Sangam to Wular Lake has been proposed, and a work order worth Rs 66.11 crore has been issued for 10 hybrid electric catamaran vessels, each carrying 20 passengers.
All 52 navigational instruments have arrived. Six of the eight concrete pontoon jetties are ready. Eight passenger and tourist terminals are under development at Sangam, Pantha Chowk, Zero Bridge, Amira Kadal, Chattabal, Sumbal and other locations.
Cruise routes and terminal sites have also been identified on the Chenab and Ravi. Three concrete pontoons are due to be completed by December 2026, and 11 identified land parcels have been transferred to the Transport Department and handed over to IWAI.
The meeting also discussed issues that could slow the projects, including the removal or shifting of power lines, the removal of cofferdams, permanent water and electricity connections, wastewater drainage, and the widening of approach roads to the terminals. Dulloo told all the departments concerned to clear these obstacles quickly and in coordination. A safe, attractive and sustainable water transport system, he said, can give tourism and local economic activity in Jammu and Kashmir a new dimension. |
|
