Srinagar, Sept 22: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has said that the process of handing over the Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) at Salamabad in Uri to the Tourism Department is underway.
The government’s response came in reply to a question raised by MLA Uri Dr Sajjad Shafi on Tuesday during the ongoing session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The MLA had sought to know whether it was a fact that the Salamabad Trade Centre had not been handed over to the Tourism Department despite repeated requests made during consecutive Assembly sessions. He also asked when the facility would be transferred for the development of tourism infrastructure in the area.
In a written reply, the Minister Tourism Department, headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, said, “Handing/taking over the Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC), Salamabad Uri, to the Tourism Department is under process.”
The department further stated that the necessary formalities, including the preparation and verification of an inventory of assets and liabilities, were being completed in consultation with the Industries and Commerce Department.
“This exercise is likely to be completed very soon,” the reply said.
The proposed transfer is aimed at paving the way for the development of tourism infrastructure at the Salamabad facility, which previously served as a main centre for cross- LoC trade.
The Salamabad TFC emerged as an important point of contact between the two sides of divided Kashmir following the launch of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service in 2005.
The weekly Karwan-e-Aman (Peace Bus) service operated through Salamabad, allowing divided families to meet after decades of separation. The facility subsequently also became a major point for cross-LoC trade, with goods being exchanged between traders from both parts of divided Kashmir.
The cross-LoC trade and the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service were suspended in April 2019 following the Pulwama terror attack and subsequent developments. The trade has not resumed since then, leaving infrastructure at Salamabad largely underutilised.
