Approach road cuts through forests, clearances impossible
*JDA asked to identify new sites, no time-frame fixed
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 18: In a testimony of grand promise crumbling under the weight of poor planning, the much-trumpeted Water Theme Park project in Jammu, announced with great fanfare and showcased as a future game-changer for the city’s tourism, has hit a dead end after the authorities belatedly discovered that its approach road falls within a forest area making mandatory clearances virtually impossible to obtain.
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The announcement of the Water Theme Park was made in the J&K Budget for the Financial Year 2023-24. The plan was showcased as a bold step to transform Jammu into a year-round tourist hub, capable of competing with other leisure destinations in different parts of the country.
On September 14, 2023, the Government held a high-level review meeting where it was claimed that the mega facility to be developed along the banks of Tawi near Sidhra, would serve as a modern attraction for locals and tourists alike.
The officials maintained that project would act as a major tourist attraction in Jammu round the year offering entertainment and recreational activities to every age group. It was stated that Water Theme Park will make a circuit together with Bahu Fort, Maha Maya Temple, Artificial Lake and Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex.
On December 27, 2024, Jammu Development Authority (JDA) was formally handed the task of developing the project. Spread over 11 acres of prime land near Dwara, adjoining the Golf Course, the site was projected as an ideal location. JDA was even advised to count the land as its equity contribution supposedly creating a long term revenue stream for the financially struggling authority.
“But now, all the lofty promises stand punctured as it has been realized by the authorities that entire approach road to the site passes through the forest area and it would be not that easy to obtain necessary clearances to kick-start the project”, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “the problem runs deeper than forest clearance as the proposed site is over four kilometers from the National Highway with no direct road connectivity”.
“Even if the permissions are somehow secured, the park would struggle to attract steady tourist footfall due to its poor location and difficult accessibility”, sources further said, adding “all this clearly points towards administration’s failure to conduct even the most basic ground-level feasibility exercise before making tall claims”.
For over a year, the project was paraded as a future game-changer for Jammu tourism, with officials painting glowing pictures of wave pools, water rides and family attractions. Yet, fundamental questions of access, connectivity and environmental clearances were conveniently ignored, sources further said.
“Instead of verifying whether the project was practical on the ground, the officials rushed to claim credit. Now, after wasting precious time, the roadblock posed by the forest clearance issue has brought the entire project to a standstill”, they said, adding “now, the JDA has been asked to scout for fresh locations. However, identifying another suitable stretch of land for such a mega recreational facility will be a time-consuming exercise given Jammu’s topography, environmental sensitivities and competing demands for urban land”.
“Even if a new site is finalized, the process will have to start from scratch—detailed project reports, feasibility studies, environmental impact assessments and financial structuring. That means at least a couple of years before anything concrete could take shape,” sources said, underlining the grim reality that no one can say with certainty whether a Water Theme Park will actually come up in Jammu in the near future.
They further said, “it is really shocking that something as basic as verifying whether the site was environmentally viable was ignored. The failure is particularly glaring because the project was meant to anchor Jammu’s much-touted tourism circuit along the Tawi Riverfront, linking historic and cultural landmarks with new-age leisure attractions”.
Expressing anger over the much-hyped Water Theme Park hitting a dead-end, tourism experts said, “we have been hearing about big projects for years, but nothing ever reaches completion. Artificial Lake is still hanging fire, Mubarak Mandi remains in limbo, and now this Theme Park has been shelved”.
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