Sharda temple revival along LoC breathed new life into Kupwara tourism: LG Sinha

Seeking to showcase the transformation of Jammu and Kashmir’s border villages, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday visited Vibrant Village Trehgam in the Kupwara district, where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several development projects while reiterating the Centre’s commitment towards all-round growth of frontier areas.

Addressing a public gathering on the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India is fully committed to the all-round development of border villages.

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“Every village deserves all-weather roads, modern schools & abundant opportunities for the youth. This is the vision driving us to transform Kupwara’s border villages into model villages post-2019. Together, we will turn our resolve into reality,” he averred.

He said it is the Central government’s commitment to ensure that every child of Trehgam receives the same quality education available in J&K’s cities. “I want farmers here to access superior seeds, reliable irrigation, and strong market linkages. Trehgam has made remarkable strides in self-employment, with 205 self-help groups and 85 units under Mission Youth already operational.”

The revival of the historic Sharda Temple in Teetwal has breathed new life into the tourism sector. In 2018-19, only 6,900 tourists visited Kupwara, however, in 2024-25, that number surged to 3,77,000. I’m confident that in the next one or two years, every border village will script its own story of prosperity,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor recalled that he had visited Machil on 5th October, 2020, and Keran and Machil areas were connected with Grid Power after 70 years of waiting.

“At that time, reliable power reached about 70% of families in Kupwara’s other villages. In just four years, we have extended it to nearly 95% of households. Telecom connectivity in border villages now stands at 88%. Concerned officials should ensure 100% coverage by the end of this year. Every family in border villages is serving the nation, and that service deserves honor in a transformed quality of life. Through PMGSY and PWD, we have already provided all-weather roads to 15 out of 16 Vibrant Villages in the past. Funding for the last one has arrived from the central government, and work will commence soon.

The Vibrant Village Phase-2 program outlines three key pillars for holistic growth. First, securing livelihoods by launching new cooperative societies, self-help groups, tourism circuits, and cottage industries, especially empowering women and youth. Second, ensuring physical and digital connectivity to every Vibrant Village, while building strong educational infrastructure. Third, ensuring full saturation of all central government and UT administration schemes. The infrastructure focuses on 4 thematic areas- all-weather road connectivity, telecom, television access, and electrification.

The Lieutenant Governor highlighted that the administration is looking beyond the government schemes and programmes to create sustainable opportunities for the youth of the villages like Trehgam.