Jammu: Marking a significant moment of peace and tranquility in Kashmir, Army has allowed tourists and common people to visit Kaman Post, situated along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of Baramulla district; sharing Line of Control with Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Army Commander Northern Command Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi inspected development measures being taken to promote Kaman Post as a tourist centre.
Defence spokesperson said that Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi visited Kaman Post, first Indian Army post on NH-44 and inspected recent development measures undertaken to promote Kaman as a tourist centre, under Border tourism initiative.
He added that army commander also interacted with ex servicemen and local population residing in villages of LoC and accentuated the need of continuous efforts to uplift the quality of life of local population. He also felicitated Veer Naaris as a token of respect and recognised work of new emerging role models from the local surroundings, who have done credible work in various fields such as hospitality, literature and social service. The visit culminated with bestowing of commendation card upon selected Army personnels who had excelled in combat while discharging their duties.
Earlier, Army paves way for border tourism with Kaman Post opening it for tourists and commanders.
The Kaman Post, also known as the Bridge of Peace,.
The Army has taken a step towards promoting the historic post as a tourist destination, an initiative made possible due to the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan last year.
“There has been no ceasefire violation on the LoC for a long time now so this is the right time to promote the Kaman Post as a tourist spot,” a top Army official said.
During the previous years, the Kaman Post at LoC, also known as the Bridge of Peace, was out of bounds for commoners and only top security officials of Police and Army besides the bureaucrats would have access to the spot.
Rarely, a commoner was allowed to have a glimpse of the post, that too after following a hectic process to get the permission from the concerned authorities.
“Visitors are now allowed to visit the post by submitting their Aadhaar card to the concerned authorities before heading towards the LoC. However, visitors are allowed to visit the post only during daytime to preserve the sensitivity of the area,” the Army official said.
The Army has given the post a complete facelift, upgrading and renovating the site to make it more alluring and attractive to tourists.
The revamped Kaman Post is not only rich in military history, but also offers an opportunity to walk on the ‘Veer Path’ as the Army has erected the posters of the Army personnel who were killed in the line of duty.
The slogans of strength painted on the walls around the post depict the Army’s unflinching determination to fight against any enemy and ensure the prosperity of the people on this side of the LoC.
While the Kaman Post has already started to witness a footfall of visitors, the Army is planning to organise school trips to the Kaman Post to instill a sense of patriotism in the young minds of India.
The initiative of the Indian Army to promote the Kaman Post as a tourist destination has raised expectations of the locals that this move will pave the way for the promotion of border tourism by exploring other adjacent areas of the Uri sector.
