Jammu, Jan 28 : Jammu witnessed a festive atmosphere on Wednesday evening as a two-day boat festival began at the newly developed Tawi Riverfront, drawing large crowds to the much-awaited artificial lake.
Organised to showcase the riverfront as a new urban and tourism space, the event offered free boating rides and scintillating performances by music bands, bringing joy to visitors, mostly locals including women and children.
A flagship initiative of Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL), the Tawi riverfront development project aims to revitalise the banks of the river by integrating flood protection with recreational and commercial infrastructure. The project was launched in 2009 by the then Congress–National Conference government, but has been marred by delays, missing nearly a dozen deadlines over the years, officials said.
The state government has spent crores of rupees on the project in the past decade after its foundation stone was laid by then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on December 5, 2009.
The first-of-its-kind boat festival in Jammu commenced at 3.30 pm and continued for three hours. Senior officers, including Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, Chief Executive Officer JSCL Devansh Yadav, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Rakesh Minhas, Senior Superintendent of Police Jammu Joginder Singh, and BJP legislator Yudhvir Sethi, were also present at the venue.
“The two-day boating festival is a trial, and after receiving inputs from stakeholders, including the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), an attempt will be made to make it a permanent feature by involving the private sector,” said Yadav, who is also the commissioner of Jammu Municipal Corporation.
At present, he said, all boating activities are being conducted in-house in collaboration with the SDRF team. However, in the future, the department intends to hand over operations to private operators so that the facility can be managed professionally and enjoyed by people on a daily basis.
He added that the barrage has a spillover mechanism to release excess water, while a basic pondage of approximately three to four metres required for boating will be maintained. “From March onwards, the barrage will be made a permanent feature, and various adventure and tourism-related activities will be promoted in the area,” he said.
Tour operators and youth interested in adventure sports would be promoted by granting permissions for boating operations, Yadav said, expressing hope that the newly developed urban space would take Jammu’s tourism potential to a whole new level.
To further boost tourism, he shared that JSCL has invited local bands to perform, while efforts are also being made to promote authentic Dogri cuisine.
“People should come, witness and appreciate the beauty of Suryaputri Tawi, spend quality time with their families, and help make this riverfront area a go-to destination in the coming days. These two days of programming are a small step in that direction,” Yadav said.
Visitors expressed joy over the start of the boating in the river and thanked the JSCL for almost completing the project.
“Today is a great day for Jammu as the long wait for boating in River Tawi has finally come true,” said Tarun Kumar, a Jammu resident.
He said that pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and revered temples such as Raghunath Mandir now have another reason to extend their stay in the city. “It is a great achievement and will benefit our local economy,” he added.
