Former Sarpanch Mohan Singh Bhatti is ready to receive tourists at his homestay near the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district, a visible change in the ground situation after the renewed ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into effect in this month three years ago.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has recently given its nod for the construction of homestays in the close vicinity of the famous Baba Chamliyal shrine in Ramgarh sector to boost border tourism amid prevailing peace on the borders.
Considered a symbol of Indo-Pakistan bonhomie in the past, the famous shrine of Baba Chamliyal on the zero line attracts thousands of devotees from across the country, especially on the occasion of the annual fair in the middle of the year.
Delegations from Pakistan used to come to pay obeisance at the shrine during the annual fair but the practice was stopped after cross-border firing left four BSF personnel including an Assistant Commandant dead on June 13, 2018.
Bhatti, who has come up with a double-storey homestay at his Dagh Channi village of Fatwal, has also constructed a well-furnished underground bunker with a twin objective to make the visitors feel living on the borders and as a safety measure to prevent any damage in case of shelling from across the border.
Chairman of Baba Chamliyal shrine, Billu Choudhary also thanked the government for the step and said, “Homestays provide an opportunity to mingle and know each other’s culture besides earning some bucks,” adding they have never thought of such a situation developing on the borders which was always roaring with gunfire and mortar shelling.
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