Once it used to house the dreaded militants, but now Bhaderwah fort jail is going to be a tourist attraction.
The authorities have shifted 60 prisoners to turn it into a heritage site
SRINAGAR: Once it used to house the dreaded militants, but now Bhaderwah fort jail is going to be a tourist attraction. Thanks to the government decision to shift the inmates to Jammu jail and restore the glory of the ancient fort to attract the tourists to this scenic place.
Built in 1733 by Maharaja Phar Chand, the fort was converted into a jail in 1919 to house the freedom fighters. It is after 88 years that the J&K government has decided to restore this heritage monument.
The authorities have shifted around 60 prisoners to Jammu jail. “This is a great heritage site of our state and it can become a major attraction for the tourists. The Bhaderwah Development Authority (BDA) has drawn a major plan to give it a facelift to attract tourists,” said Jammu tourism director Ajay Khaujaria.
Museum, art gallery, in house drama-theatre, light and sound system and heritage centre are all planned at the fort which will be reopened for tourists in next two years time. Jammu and Kashmir government is spending around Rs3 crore on the refurbishment of the fort.
“We are spending Rs1.5 crore on light and sound system alone and rest of the money will be spent on establishing museum, art gallery and other facilities so that more and more tourists would come to Bhaderwah,” said BDA chief executive officer Talat Parvez.
Union ministry of tourism has also cleared projects for development of tourism infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir to the tune of Rs50 crore and the Bhadarwah tehsil will get a tourism related development fund worth Rs4.12 crore.
BDA is expecting nearly three lakh tourists to visit Bhaderwah, also known as Chotta Kashmir for its scenic beauty, after the fort will be thrown open. “We are targetting the pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine annually. We are expecting to divert 10% of them to Bhaderwah that will give a major boost to tourism sector,” said Parvez.
Bhaderwah is the home constituency of the chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and it has received enormous support from the state government for putting it on the tourist map given its splendid natural beauty resembling Kashmir. “We are opening new trekking routes which will be an added attraction for the tourists visiting Bhaderwah,” said Parvez.
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