Srinagar, Sept 14: Seven years after the suspension of cross-LoC trade and the closure of the Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) at Salamabad area of Uri, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to repurpose the facility as a border tourism hub.
The move is aimed at turning the strategically and historically significant Salamabad area located close to the Line of Control (LoC), into a tourist destination while putting the existing infrastructure at the centre to productive use.
MLA Uri Dr Sajjad Shafi told Rising Kashmir that the government plans to restore and utilise the facilities at the TFC, including accommodation, a cafeteria, park and viewpoint to attract visitors to the area.
“This spot used to be a cross-LoC trade point but was later closed. Now, the government has decided to restore its accommodation facility, cafeteria, park and a viewpoint to attract local and non-local visitors to the border area and boost border tourism,” he said.
He said visitors travelling to Uri have frequently raised the issue of inadequate night-stay facilities in the area.
“People visiting Uri would always complain about the lack of night-stay facilities. Now the Tourism Department will assess the ground situation, and we will make the accommodation and cafeteria functional so that more tourists visit this border area,” Shafi said.
The development follows a recent decision by the J&K Tourism Department authorising the Directorate of Tourism, Kashmir, to take over the TFC at Salamabad for tourism-related activities and promotion of border tourism.
According to the government decision, the TFC and the assets and facilities available there will be placed at the disposal of the Directorate of Tourism, Kashmir, which has been authorised to utilise the infrastructure for tourism-related activities.
The Salamabad TFC had 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.
Residents of Uri have welcomed the decision but said the tourism potential of the area can be realised only if basic facilities and connectivity are improved.
“Salamabad has historical importance because people from both sides used to come here for trade and the peace bus. If the same place is developed for tourism, it can give a new identity to the area,” said a local resident.
The TFC’s proposed transformation is expected to complement the government’s wider efforts to promote Uri as a border tourism destination, with the area offering access to several scenic and historically significant locations along the LoC.
