Ravi’s waterways status to put Basohli on tourism map

Sanjay Pathak

Kathua, September 3

The historic town of Basohli, which is famous for its paintings and Ramlilas, is likely to come on the international tourism map as the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has declared the Ravi as National Waterways River Ravi (NW-84) and notified it in the Gazette of India.

The district administration has begun the process to formulate a feasibility report for inland waterways operation in the Ranjit Sagar dam reservoir over the Ravi which is spread from Thein village to Hat Mashka village. A team of IWAI is scheduled to visit the area shortly to work out modalities for the project.

Additional Deputy Commissioner, Basohli, Sanjay Gupta said the IWAI approval would give a huge impetus to the tourism potential in the area.

“The reservoir of the Ranjit Sagar dam shares boundaries with three states, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pardesh. Villages such as Thein, Mahanpur, Sabar, Punda, Plahi, Purthu, Sandhar, Hatt and Mashka fall along the reservoir. These can be explored if the IWAI find the project feasible,” he said.

He further said once the project was approved, water transport, water sports, tourism activities and cargo transportation in the reservoir would begin. “These activities will attract tourists from across the world. The hilly areas of Basohli and Bani tehsil will be easily accessible via waterways and it will increase the economic status of locals,” he said.

A meeting in this regard was chaired by the District Development Commissioner (DDC), Kathua, in which deliberations were held on identifying the feasible ferrying routes and criss-cross points, keeping in mind local demography and road connectivity.

The DDC has also directed officers concerned to conduct survey of the area from the Ranjit Sagar dam up to the Sewa project site to identify the potential stretches for development of waterways for transportation and recreational activities.