The PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir will promote the border areas of Jammu as tourist destinations in order to boost tourism. Special attention will be given to developing the Suchetgarh border, which the ruling alliance partners want to showcase as the Wagah border of Jammu region.
The decision comes close on the heels of a recent “Sadbhavna” tour by 150 Mumbai students to different villages along the border where they interacted with the people and also tried their hand on the firearms of the Army in order to understand the difficulties of border patrolling. These students from different Mumbai-based schools are on a tour sponsored by the Army under Operation Sadbhavna.
The spokesman of Northern Command, Colonel S.D. Goswami told the media in Jammu that a part of the project is to tell the stories of sacrifice and difficulties being faced by the Army in J&K while patrolling the difficult border areas. He further told the media that these Mumbai students will become ambassadors of the Army and tell people living in different parts of the country about the difficulties being faced by the soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC).
Minister for Flood and Irrigation Sham Choudhary of the BJP said that border areas in the Jammu region will become tourist destinations very soon. He told the media while visiting Suchetgarh that the region will become a Wagah type border point with mega-cultural events organised time to time to increase tourist footfall. He said that the coalition government will create the requisite tourist infrastructure in the border areas so that these beautiful villages will develop as holiday spots. Previous Chief Minister
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had earlier announced that he would turn Suchetgarh border point in to a major tourist destination.