After Lakhanpur, another Street Food Hub proposed at Jagti

Rs 4.88 cr facility to offer traditional culinary delicacies to travelers along NH-44

Bivek Mathur

JAMMU, Oct 3: After Lakhanpur in Kathua district was selected among the first towns in the country for development of a Street Food Hub under the PM SVANidhi initiative, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has also decided to develop a similar facility at Jagti area in Nagrota along the National Highway-44.

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The proposed Rs 4.88 Crore facility to be developed on around 8-10 kanals of land opposite IIM Jammu is aimed at catering to pilgrims, tourists and other travelers heading towards Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, Patnitop, Bhaderwah, the Kashmir Valley, and other tourist and pilgrim destinations of the region, besides providing an organized platform for the local food vendors and promoting the region's traditional cuisine.

Official sources said the project, to be executed by the Public Works

(Road and Building) Department, received the administrative approval for Rs 487.65 lakh under the UT-Capex programme and will be funded by the Housing and Urban Development Department of the Jammu and Kashmir Government.

According to them, the proposed Street Food Hub will comprise 15 vending kiosks, besides external development, a plaza, and other facilities, including a statue of General Zorawar Singh.

The proposed kiosks are expected to offer the pilgrims and tourists the traditional Dogra and Kashmiri cuisine, including Rajmah Chawal, Kaladi Kulcha, Dogri Dham, along with other popular Dogra and Kashmiri dishes and local delicacies, they said.

"The facility is thus expected to provide visitors an opportunity to sample regional food in an organized setting," officials said.

Pertinently, the Jagti proposal followed the Centre's initiative to develop Street Food Hubs at different locations with tourism potential, cultural significance and distinctive local cuisines.

Earlier this year, Lakhanpur in Kathua district was selected among the first towns in the country for development of a Street Food Hub under the PM SVANidhi initiative.

The Lakhanpur project envisages modern vending infrastructure at two locations in Lakhanpur Market and seeks to promote Dogra cuisine and other regional culinary traditions while creating livelihood opportunities for local vendors and small entrepreneurs.

Similarly, the proposed Jagti hub is expected to combine promotion of local cuisine with tourism infrastructure.

"With access to large flow of pilgrims, tourists and transit travelers, the proposed Street Food Hub at Jagti is expected to add an organized food destination along the National Highway-44, besides providing space for local culinary traditions and creating opportunities for vendors and entrepreneurs," an R&B official said.