Bivek Mathur
Already struggling with the stress due to the beginning of a direct train service between Jammu and the holy town of Katra, marketers in Jammu’s once-bustling Raghunath Market and City Chowk area are now fighting to keep their businesses alive.
Some claim a slump of around 75% due to the steep fall in footfall caused by the sluggish pace of the ongoing “Heritage Trail and Beautification of the Mubarak Mandi to Raghunath Bazar project.”
Taken up at the cost of Rs 16.56 crore by Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL), the project, initiated in May 2022, has missed several deadlines. This has created problems for local visitors and shopkeepers in Raghunath Market. While the visitors complain about the unplanned execution making it difficult to enter the market and find parking, shopkeepers lament the absence of local buyers hitting their businesses hard. However, pilgrims from the other states, who are visiting the historic Raghunath Ji Temple still offer some hope due to their purchases of religious articles, dry fruits, and other goods. The Heritage Trail & Beautification of Mubarak Mandi to Raghunath Bazar Project aims to improve the road from Panjtirthi to Raghunath Bazar via Pucca Danga and Jain Bazar. It involves widening the area for efficient traffic management, constructing proper drainage facilities and footpaths en route, and improving the parks in Rani Park and Purani Mandi areas.
Additionally, the project includes cobble stone flooring at Raghunath Bazar, Mubarak Mandi-Panjtirthi, and major intersections, constructing a gate at the City Chowk area (now Bharat Mata Chowk), providing pick-up/drop-off locations and paid parking, fixing uniform signages, installing decorative lighting, realigning poles with refurbished and new water points, and undergrounding communication cables with cobbled stone intersections and sandstone footpaths.
According to Sanjay Gupta, President of the Raghunath Bazar Business Association, the cobblestone work of the footpaths near the historic Raghunath Temple is nearing completion. “Once finished, visitors from the temple side will be able to enter the market,” he says. Gupta also noted that pedestrians have faced minimal issues as the drainage and pavement works were completed in advance. He is hopeful the entire project will be ready before the annual Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage, trusting the government to honor its commitment. However, a group of shopkeepers are skeptical about the timely completion of the project. Cloth merchant Ajay Kumar claims the work is progressing at a snail’s pace, missing several deadlines.
Initially targeted for completion in March 2024 and then postponed to April 2024 to May 2024, Kumar doubts the project will be finished before the Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage. Kumar’s cloth business has been hit hard, with local visitors avoiding the market due to parking issues, resulting in a 50-75% slump in sales. Kumar also criticized the construction of two gates near City Chowk, which have left a 2.5 feet wide space each between the existing pillars and the new gates, making the area unusable. Saksham, who runs a dry fruit shop, shares similar concerns. He notes a continuous decline in local visitors due to the unplanned execution of the project, which has closed entry points from both City Chowk and Raghunath Temple sides. Jammu Municipal Commissioner Rahul Yadav, also the CEO of JSCL, maintains that the project is progressing smoothly without problems. He attributes delays in the drainage and street lighting projects to a group of shopkeepers who frequently oppose development, especially during festivals when they seek time for their businesses in view of the heavy rush of the visitors. According to him, the cobblestone and tiling work at Raghunath Bazar was only started on March 26 this year because shopkeepers had previously blocked the agency from beginning work due to the Holi festival and anticipated visitor rush.
“Thrice, the beautification work in the historic market was stopped by a group of shopkeepers and we’ve borne that. They too have to bear with us to let us complete the project well in time” Yadav states.
Regarding the missed March 2024 deadline, Yadav blames the delays on the stoppages caused by shopkeepers. He insists that if allowed to work without interruptions, the project can be completed on time. Otherwise, it may face further delays, he says.
“However, if the work goes on with the existing pace, we’ll complete it well before the start of the annual Shri Amarnath ji yatra,” Yadav assures.
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