Boniyar
[ ur, ]() is a town and a
municipal committee
Municipal or local governance refers to the third tier of governance in India, at the level of the municipality or urban local body.
History
Municipal governance in India in its current form has existed since the year 1664. In 1664, Fort Ko ...
in
Boniyar tehsil,
Baramulla district
Baramulla district or Varmul (in Kashmiri) is one of the 20 districts in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Baramulla town is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district covered an area of in 2001, but it wa ...
in India's northernmost
union territory of
Jammu and Kashmir. It is located 20 km towards west from district headquarters
Baramulla
Baramulla (), also known as Varmul () in Kashmiri, is a town and a municipality in the Baramulla district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Baramulla district. It is on the ...
. Boniyar was given tehsil status in 2006. Prominent villages in tehsil Boniyar are Noorkhah, Bagna, Salamabad, Wopal Haq Marg, Athishampora, Bijhama, Trikanjan, Barnate, Uranbuha, Chandanwari, Rampur, Chahla and Nowshera.
A major tourist attraction is Lower Jhelum hydropower project at Chalah Boniyar, having a capacity of generating 105 MW. Lachipora wildlife sanctuary has been established for conserving
markhoor and other vulnerable animals.
The bank of the dam of Lower Jehlum Hydropower plant has become a tourist destination; Nowshera at the opposite side of river Jhelum has amazing viewpoints.
There is a diversity of people living in tehsil Boniyar of the Baramulla district, with most of the people speaking Pahari. About 50-70 % people of tehsil Boniyar speak
Pahari, with a large number of Pahari speakers. The remainder mainly speak Kashmiri, Gujri, and Urdu.
It is a Muslim-dominated region with about 60% belonging to the Sunni Muslim community and 38% to the Shia Muslim community.
Other religions comprise the minority, with about 1% Hindus and 1% Sikhs.
Noorkhah, a village of Boniyar tehsil, has significant mineral resources such as gypsum, limestone and ochre, with gypsum currently being extracted.
However, this has also led to ill effects to the residents such as
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...
,
soil erosion, and landslides.
Notes
Cities and towns in Baramulla district
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