URI (BARAMULLA): The Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC), which once served as the hub for cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, is set to be redeveloped as a tourism facility after being formally handed over to the Tourism Department.
The move comes years after cross-LoC trade was suspended in 2019 following the Pulwama terror attack. Since then, the complex, comprising a cargo hall, cafeteria, administrative offices and residential blocks, has remained largely unused.
Local MLA Sajjad Shafi said the facility’s transfer to the Tourism Department would pave the way for its conversion into a tourist reception and service centre catering to visitors exploring the Uri region.
According to the MLA, the proposal aims to integrate the facility into broader plans for promoting border tourism, eco-tourism and pilgrimage tourism in the area. He said efforts would be made to involve local youth in managing tourism-related services such as cafeterias and visitor facilities, creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Shafi said he had raised the issue with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, following which the process for transferring the facility to the Tourism Department was completed.
The MLA said Uri has significant tourism potential owing to its border heritage, religious sites and natural attractions. He identified destinations such as the Kaman Post Peace Bridge, Pandav Temple, Gurdwara Chatti Padshahi, Baba Rangi, Baba Qazi Nag and Baba Farid shrine as potential pilgrimage and heritage tourism sites.
He also highlighted the region’s eco-tourism prospects, including trekking routes and wildlife habitats in and around Kazinag National Park, Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary and Limber Wildlife Sanctuary, which are known for species such as the markhor.
Officials said the future use of the complex will depend on plans prepared by the Tourism Department, including infrastructure assessment and operational arrangements.
The repurposing of the Salamabad facility marks the formal end of its role in cross-LoC trade and signals a shift towards tourism-led development in the border region.
