Jhelum cruise to serve as heritage tour

SRINAGAR: As the Jhelum is calming after the 2014 September deluge and soaring water levels of the last month locals and tourists can now cruise through the river from tomorrow

Updated At : 06:17 AM May 12, 2015 IST

<p>Heritage houses along the banks of the Jhelum in Srinagar. A tribune photo</p>

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 11

As the Jhelum is calming after the 2014 September deluge and soaring water levels of the last month, locals and tourists can now cruise through the river from tomorrow.

By starting the service, the authorities are looking to promote heritage tourism as cruisers will catch a glimpse of the historic structures of old Srinagar city, built on the banks of the Jhelum.

Even as the government is not launching a full-fledged service, the Tourism Department is hopeful that it will go a long way towards promoting heritage and pilgrim tourism.

Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Shailendra Kumar said initially one boat would operate. He said more boats would ply later as they had got a good response from a few private players.

“It is a new concept and private players have shown interest. Based on the response, we will launch more boats,” he said.

In the first phase, the cruise will start from Zero Bridge to Chattabal Veer and take visitors to heritage destinations such as Khanqah-e-Moula, Maharaj Gunj, shrine of Hazrat Bul Bul Shah and Lal Ded Memorial. The cruisers will also be guided to the heritage places on the mike.

Kumar said the cruise will halt at Khanqah-e-Moula — shrine of the Sufi saint Mir Syed Ali Hamadani.

Besides devotees, the shrine is often visited by foreign tourists to see its traditional wooden architecture.

He said the government was also developing a crafts bazaar at Zainakadal in Srinagar as part of its plans to boost heritage tourism.

In 2012, a water taxi service had been started on the Jhelum in an effort to promote an alternative means of transport and to counter the traffic snarls on the city roads. The project did not find favour with the commuters, though it had managed to catch the attention of tourists.

Owners of shikaras and houseboats on the Jhelum had expressed reservations over the plying of motorboats on the river. Some stakeholders had then said water transport in Srinagar city could become a major tourist attraction just like the water taxis of Venice.