Kashmir Impulse Desk

Jammu, July 17

Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Jitendra Singh, on Friday announced plans to transform Lakhanpur, the main road entry point to Jammu and Kashmir, with a new gateway monument and urban beautification project, while outlining broader efforts to develop the border town into a tourism and culinary destination.

The proposed redevelopment, estimated to cost more than Rs 1.5 crore, will include construction of a landmark gateway and improvements to public spaces at Lakhanpur, which serves as the principal road entrance to the union territory from neighbouring Punjab. Funding will be mobilised through the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) and other government sources, Singh said during a visit to the town.

The announcement comes after the federal government selected Lakhanpur among the first 50 towns nationwide to be developed as a “street food hub” under the PM SVANidhi initiative, a programme aimed at improving infrastructure and livelihoods for street vendors.

Singh said the project would create organised, hygienic vending spaces while promoting Dogra cuisine and other regional food traditions to tourists, pilgrims and other travellers entering Jammu and Kashmir by road.

The proposed hub will be developed across two clusters in Lakhanpur market, near the old bus stand and the sales tax office, covering about 1,754 square metres. Located on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine and adjoining Punjab, Lakhanpur receives heavy traffic from tourists, pilgrims and commercial vehicles throughout the year.

Speaking to vendors and traders, Singh said the initiative reflected the government’s emphasis on improving livelihoods for small businesses while creating better visitor infrastructure.

Street vendors had historically remained outside the focus of public policy, but recent government programmes sought to integrate them into the formal economy through financial assistance and improved working conditions, he said.

The minister also highlighted a series of infrastructure projects underway in the Jammu region, saying the Shahpur Kandi irrigation project had become operational after decades of delay, while work on the Ujh multipurpose project was expected to begin shortly following the completion of approval processes. The projects are expected to improve irrigation and water management across Kathua, Samba and parts of Jammu district.

During the visit, Singh inaugurated a statue of Maharaja Gulab Singh at Lakhanpur, describing it as a tribute to the founder of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. He also said approvals had been secured for naming Kathua railway station after Shaheed Captain Sunil Sharma, with formal notification expected later.

Responding to concerns over the relocation of the vehicle fitness testing facility from Kathua to Samba, Singh said the move was temporary and linked to the commissioning of a modern automated testing centre. A similar facility was under consideration for Kathua, he added.

For Lakhanpur, long regarded primarily as a transit point for vehicles entering Jammu and Kashmir, the redevelopment signals a broader effort to reposition the town as a destination in its own right by combining tourism infrastructure, local enterprise and cultural heritage.