Excelsior Correspondent
BHADERWAH, Feb 23: Ahead of seven weeks of its schedule, the Border Roads Organization (BRO) has cleared the snow and opened Bhaderwah- Jaie road for traffic.
According to Officer Commanding 118 RCC (BRO), Lt Col YK Gautam and Captain Sachit Sharma OIC Rajesh Pandey, the 30 km road leading to famous tourist destination Jaie Ghati located at a height of 11,200 feet above sea level was restored to both-way traffic ahead of ‘Askini Bhaderkashi’ snow festival which will commence on Feb 24.
“After the request from District administration Doda to make the road motorable by 24 Feb, we cleared the snow on war footing leading to snow filled Jaie Ghati by deploying half a dozen heavy machinery and more than 100 men thereby making the road motorable in record time and opening it ahead of the festival,” said OC 118 RCC.
Bhaderwah -Jaie road earlier used to be restored by April 15, but this time the road has been cleared about 7 weeks earlier. The BRO has also intensified its efforts to restore the Bhaderwah-Guldand-Chattergala road to connect the Bhaderwah with Pathankot in Punjab via Bani and Basohli.
A large number of tourists, opt for the high altitude meadows of Jaie for adventure sports and trekking. This route remains accessible only during the summer months from mid April to October.
The people associated with the tourism industry say that Jaie is a major attraction among the tourists and by pre- pounding the snow clearance and making it motorable 7 weeks ahead of normal schedule will definitely boost the prospects of tourism industry in a big way as it has been opened well before snow melts and the high altitude meadow loses its charm.
“Over the last one week, hotels and guest houses in the area have experienced a sharp hike in bookings,” said Tariq Choudhary president TTTA (Tour Travel and Trade Association) Bhaderwah.
“According to data, 200-250 tourists arrived in Bhaderwah every day since December 15 last year and this number will surely increase manifolds in the coming days as roads leading to high altitude meadows are being opened for traffic well in advance and visitors are enjoying the charm of snow,” said Manish Kotwal of Hotel and Guest House Association Bhaderwah.
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