Uri, Sep 20 (KNS) : Cross-LoC trade at Salamabad is officially over, with the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department formally taking over the Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre here, ending its nearly two-decade association with cross-Line of Control trade and repurposing the sprawling facility for border tourism.
Officials said the decision gives a new institutional purpose to a site that had been lying silent since April 2019, when cross-LoC trade through Salamabad was suspended in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.
The department has initiated the process to assess the existing infrastructure at Salamabad and work out a plan for its development as a tourism facility, a senior Tourism Department official told news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS).
Existing facilities at the centre, including accommodation with several rooms, a stone-built cafeteria, a park and a viewpoint, are being considered for tourism use, the official said, adding that the focus would include border tourism and access to designated viewpoints along the Line of Control.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
The Salamabad centre, once a bustling hub for traders from both sides of the LoC, had remained largely unused for over five years. Its takeover by the Tourism Department marks a significant shift in the utility of the infrastructure, which was originally built to facilitate trade and people-to-people contact across the divided region.
The move is being seen as part of a broader push to promote border tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, with officials identifying the LoC's scenic stretches and strategic vantage points as potential attractions for domestic travellers.
The Tourism Department is expected to finalise a development plan in consultation with local authorities and security agencies, given the sensitive nature of the location. (KNS)
City,Entertainment,Politics,Tourism,Business,National,PublicIssues,Condolence,Sports,Education,Health,Crime,International,