Managing Pirpanjal ecosystems for better tourism and economic development

Dr. M. Ashaq Malik

Department of Botany,

Govt PG College Rajouri, J&K,

India-185135

Managing Pripanjal ecosystems for better tourism and economic development

Pirpanjal is range of mountains and plains in Western Himalayas dividingthe Jammu and Kashmir geographically. The region is characterized bybeautiful alpine meadows, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and confer andoak forests in north and temperate to sus-tropical livelihoods in south.The twin District of Rajouri and Poonch bordering Pakistan in north-western Jammu Division are connected by historic Mughal Road passingfrom this region to Kashmir. The alpine meadows and mountains areseasonal home of nomadic and tribal population from entire region whopass summer along with sheep and cattle in this region. However, due tolack of road connectivity, harish environmental conditions and otherhardships this region has not been explored to its fullest and brought ontourism map. It has huge tourism potential and can serve as economybooster for people of region. An attempt has been made to bring theamazing seven lakes and other spots to light and help manage theecosystems, conserve the natural habitats therein sustainably and attaineconomic development through tourism and other initiatives at same time.

ABSTRACT

PIR PANJAL- INTRODUCTION

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

• The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir is the Northern most and most beautiful part of the India and and Mughal emperor has said for it,

“if there is paradise on earth, it is this, it this, it is this”• Geographically it is a unique State with three different regions within the

State i.e. Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. Although, state has recently bifurcated into two union territories - Jammu& Kashmir, and Ladakh.

• Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal husbandry, Forestry and Tourism are the main source of economy of the Jammu and Kashmir.

• Among all industries, tourism hosts an important place.

• Tourism is considered to be economic bonanza for J & K state because industrial development is very limited to hilly topgraphy.

• Jammu & Kashmir is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia.

Majestic Pirpanjal Range

• Etymology

• According to Wikipedia, the Pir Panjal range is named after the Pir Panjal Pass, whose original name as recorded by Srivara (Rajatarangini) is Panchaladeva (IAST: Pāñcāladeva, meaning the deity of Panchala). Panchala is a country mentioned in the Mahabharata in the northwest Uttar Pradesh.

• However, there are also traditions that place the Mahabharata regions in western Punjab and southern Kashmir.

• Scholar Dineshchandra Sircar has analysed the geography described in the Shakti‐sangama Tantra, where this is indeed the case.

• Scholar M. A. Stein believes that the concept of deity must have been translated into that of a Pir (Sufi) after the region was Islamised.

The Pir Panjal

• The Pir Panjal Range is a group of mountains in the Lesser Himalayan region, running from east-southeast (ESE) to west-northwest (WNW) across the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and thePakistan administered Kashmir

• The average elevation varies from 1,400 m (4,600 ft) to 4,100 m (13,500 ft).

• The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges.

• Pir Panjal is the largest range of the Lesser Himalayas.

• Near the bank of the Sutlej River, it dissociates itself from the Himalayas and forms a divide between the Beas and Ravi rivers on one side and the Chenab on the other.

• The renowned Galyat mountains are also located in this range. The region is connected to the Valley of Kashmir via Mughal Road and used to be the historical connection of Kashmir with India.

Peaks of the Pirpanjal range

• Deo Tibba (6,001 m (19,688 ft)) and Indrasan (6,221 m (20,410 ft)) are two important peaks at the eastern end of the mountain range.

• They can be approached from both the Parvati-Beas Valley (Kulu District), Upper Belt of Chamba Himachal Pradesh and the Chandra (Upper Chenab) Valley (Lahaul and Spiti District) in Himachal Pradesh.

• The world renowned hill station of Gulmarg in Kashmir lies in this range, which is 56kms from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir

• Tatakoti peak in Poonch is another high mountain inwestern Pirpanjal range

Tatakoti peak, Poonch

Passes of the Pir Panjal Range• I. Haji Pir Pass (altitude 2,637 m (8,652 ft)) on the western

Pir Panjal range on the road between Poonch and Uri in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The pass is under Pakistani control.

• II. Pir Panjal Pass (also called Peer Ki Gali) connects the Kashmir valley with Rajouri and Poonch via the Mughal Road. It is the highest point of the Mughal Road at 3,490 m (11,450 ft) and lies to the southwest of the Kashmir Valley.The nearest town to the pass on the other side in the Kashmir valley is Shopian.

• III. Banihal pass (2,832 m (9,291 ft)) lies at the head of the Jhelum River at the southern end of the Kashmir Valley. Banihal and Qazigund lie on either side of the pass.

• IV. Sinthan pass connects Jammu and Kashmir with Kishtwar.

• V. Rohtang La (altitude 3,978 m (13,051 ft)) is a mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal range connecting Manali in the Kullu Valley to Keylong in the Lahaul Valley.

Tunnels in Pir Panjal

• I. Jawahar Tunnel

• The Jawahar Tunnel is a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long tunnel through Pir Panjal mountain under the Banihal pass connects Banihal with Qazigund on the other side of the mountain. The Jawahar Tunnel was named after the first Prime Minister of India was constructed in the early 1950s and commissioned in December 1956 to ensure snow-free passage throughout the year. It is at elevation of about 2,100 m (6,900 ft). It was designed for 150 vehicles per day but now used by more than 7,000 vehicles per day.[6] Therefore, a new wider and longer tunnel has been planned at a lower elevation.

• II. Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel

• Construction of a new 8.45 km (5.25 mi) long twin-tube Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel started in 2019. The new tunnel is at a lower elevation than the existing Jawahar tunnel and has reduced the road distance between Banihal and Qazigundby 16 km (9.9 mi).

• III. Banihal Railway Tunnel

• The Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel, an 11.215 kilometres (6.969 mi) railway tunnel, passes through the Pir Panjal Range in Jammu and Kashmir. It connects Quazigund and Banihal and is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway project. The tunnel was commissioned on 26 June 2013 for regular service. It is longest railway tunnel in India.

• IV. Atal Tunnel

• The Atal Tunnel has been built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway. With 8.8 km (5.5 mi) length, the tunnel is the second longest road tunnel in India and has reduced the distance between Manali and Keylong by about 60 km (37 mi). The tunnel is at 3,100 metres (10,171 ft) elevation whereas the Rohtang pass is at 3,978 metres (13,051 ft) elevation. Lying on the Manali-Leh axis, this is one of the two routes to Ladakh.

Pirpanjal and Twin Districts of Rajouri and Poonch • On the other side of Kashmir Valley, Pirpanjal hosts two districts, Rajouri and Poonch,

150kms and 240 respectively from Jammu

Po

on

ch

Poonch City

Ra

jou

ri

Source: nic.in

Rajouri Town

The unexplored Pirpanjal

• Due to magnificent beauty on other side of Pir panjal and Kashmir Centric Politics, Pirpanjal region was never explored to its full.

• The snow capped mountains

• Rivers

• Springs

• Waterfalls

• Meadows

• Natural lakes

• Valleys

Sunset at Ajote hills, Poonch

Pastures

Nomadic House – Peer ki Gali

Shakarmarg

Valleys

Khanater Valley, Poonch

Darhal Malkan, Rajouri

A village in Poonch

Loran Valley, PoonchDarhal Malkan, Rajouri

Forests

Meadows

Sultan Pathri Dhok Panjgallian dhok

Jabbi DhokShakarmarg

Meadows/Dhoks

Tara wali lush green Dhok, Loran, PoonchSari mastan Dhok, Poonch

Waterfalls

Waterfall Nandi, Poonch

Waterfalls in Darhal Malkan, Rajouri, J&K

Noori Chamb, Poonch

Waters

Hot water spring in Rajouri

Some Flora of Pirpanjal

Seven serene lakes(Sat Sar)

Nandan Sar, Gum Sar (hidden lake), Kal dachni (dark water lake), Sukh Sar (dried lake) Neel Sar (blue lake), Katori Sar (bowel lake) and katanan or Sarota Sar (blocked lake).

Livelihood

Nomadic migration

Seasonal Dhok in

Pirpanjal

Pilgrimage

Shahdara Shrief, Rajouri

Shiv Temple - RajouriBudha Amarnath Temple, Poonch

Gurudwara Dera Nangali Saheb

Mata Vishnu Devi Shrine, Reasi

Sain Miran sahib shrine along

LOC Poonch

Cultural Heritage

Dhanidhar Fort, Rajouri

Poonch Fort

Chinggis Fort, Rajouri

Tourists spots

Dhera ki Gali, Thanamandi, Rajouri

Tourism- Trekking Expedition to Shakermarg organized between 14-18 September 2021 by Districtadministration Rajouri. First ever biggest expedition after independence in which over 500trekkers participated

Environmental issues

Weathering

Pollution

Pirpanjal region has huge potential for

• I. Adventure travel

• II. Pilgrimage tourism

• III. Heritage tourism

• IV. Leisure tourism

•V. Ecotourism

The positive economic benefits of tourism industry in Pirpanjal are:

• I. Contribution to UT’s income generations. • II. Expansion of employment opportunities in J&K.

• III. Tax revenue generation

• IV. Generation of Foreign exchange

• V. Transformation of regional economy.

• VI. Up-gradation and expansion of basic infrastructure.

• VII. Social and Cultural wellbeing

• VII addressing the UN SDGs

Challenges to Manage tourism in Pirpanjal

• I. No or poor road connectivity

• II. Lack of concern from govt or implementing departments

• III. Non-standardization of rates and fares

• IV. Lack of sound marketing and promotion strategies

• V. Poor maintenance of heritage sites

• VI. Issues regarding security

• VII. Lack of passionate and trained professionals

• VIII. Inadequate capacity

• IX. Lack of supportive infrastructure- bad roads, improper health and hygiene, communication gaps, etc.

• X. Uneven progress-slow growth of village tourism, lack of information about tourist profile etc.

• XI Lack of Mountaineering institutes/professionals

CONCLUSION:

Tourism is the life line of Jammu and Kashmir vis a viz Pirpanjal and all possible efforts are required to be undertaken for retaining, expanding and sustaining it.

Pirpanjal enriched with natural beauty and unexplored wealth of unique resources has huge potential for tourism and economic growth, yet need to bring it on tourism map.

Tourism opens up new vistas for resources, both investment generation and revenue generation leading to employment generation as well as socioeconomic development of the local masses.

A proper management of ecosystems in Pirpanjal is the need as it has received more attraction in past few years due to overwhelming social media activism.

Road connectivity to tourist destinations can improve tourism manifolds. If road connectivity through Shakermarg is made possible, it will provide shortest route between Rajouri and Srinagar. It will also boost tourism in region manifold.

Acknowledgement

Thanks are due to the use of different sources for educational and awareness purpose, to bring the

unexplored Pirpanjal region closer to world community.

Thank You