Approach road to historic Jia Pota turns into dumpyard

Sumit Hakhoo
Tribune News Service
Jammu, August 25

Making a mockery of the Swaach Bharat Abhiyan, the civic authorities in Akhnoor have reportedly turned the approach road to the historic Jia Pota, which is on the banks of the Chenab and where the foundation of the Dogra Empire was laid 197 years ago, into a dumping ground.

Ironically, a notice board has been installed there warning anybody dumping solid waste in the area with imposition of Rs 5,000 fine, but  it seems the Municipal Committee, Akhnoor, is itself violating the rule.

People who visit the historic site, where Maharaja Gulab Singh’s coronation took place in 1822, return with broken heart over the total neglect of the place and lack of sanitation in the area.

The authorities have  dumped solid waste along the roadside leaving a bad impression on visitors. The locals too seem to have no interest in saving their legacy.

“This in unacceptable. A place which can become a major tourist attraction has been left unattended. Whoever visits the area tries to leave the place quickly. It’s stinking here. People need to raise their voice,” said Varad Sharma, who lives in New Delhi and recently visited the place.

Not much has been done to either promote or create infrastructure by the Tourism Department, administration and religious and social bodies.

“Why the civic authorities have installed a notice board when they are themselves violating the rule. I don’t see any major infrastructure development by the Tourism Department since I visited last in 2016,” Tarsem Kumar, a tourist, said.

However, no official from the Municipal Committee was available for comments on the issue.

Although every year the Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust and the Dharmath Trust hold functions on various occasions, they too seem to have turned a blind eye towards preserving the remnants of the glorious past.