Mughal Road
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mughal Road is the road between Bufliaz, a town in the Poonch district, to the Shopian district, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The 84-kilometre roadhttp://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=6_12_2008&ItemID=35&cat=1 traces a historic route used in the Mughal period over the Pir Panjal Pass, at an altitude of , higher than the Banihal pass at . The road connects Poonch and
Rajouri Rajouri or Rajauri (; ; ) is a city in the Rajouri district in the Jammu division of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is located about from Srinagar and from Jammu (city), Jammu city on ...
to
Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
in the Kashmir valley, and reduces the distance between Shopian and Poonch from 588 km to 126 km. It also provides an alternative route into the Kashmir valley off the Jammu–Srinagar highway. The road passes through Buffliaz, Behramgalla, Chandimarh, Dogray (Dogran), Godawan, Poshana, Chattapani, Peer Ki Gali, Aliabad, Zaznar, Dubjian, Hirpora, and Shopian.


History

A route linking Hirapur (modern Hirpora) in the Kashmir Valley with Poonch via the Pir Panjal Pass (Peer Ki Gali) has been used from ancient times. During the period of the sultans, it was extended to Bhimber. Historian Mohibbul Hasan says it played an important role during this period. After conquering the Kashmir Valley, the emperor Akbar strengthened the route into an 'Imperial Road' stretching from
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
to Kashmir. In modern times, the route has been referred to as the 'Mughal Road'. The route has also been traditionally used by the nomadic pastoral communities of Gujjars and Bakerwals for their seasonal migration.


Construction

The new road was proposed in the 1950s to improve the economy of the Kashmir valley. The then chief minister Sheikh Abdullah took up this project in 1979 and named it the 'Mughal Road', but it came to a halt as
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
took over. Bafliaz Bridge on the road was blown up by the terrorists. Actual construction began in October 2005 with a target of completion in March 2007 and an estimated cost of 255 crore rupees. A conservation trust petitioned the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
to stop construction, citing the disturbance to animals in the Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary, especially the endangered Markhor goat; and claiming the road would get early snowfall in winter and hence would not serve as an alternate route to the existing Jammu-Srinagar highway. However, the court gave conditional permission for the construction of the road. The construction due to be completed in December 2008, was delayed for a number of reasons, including the Amar Nath land row. The road was opened on 12 July 2009 for inspection by state legislators, officials, engineers, and others. It was supposed to be thrown open for light vehicles in October 2010 but the law-and-order situation in Kashmir in 2010 imposed delays. A double-lane road was completed and opened for light vehicles in August 2012. A Mughal Road Car Rally has been held annually since 2010. It covers 600 km, including the picturesque stretch across Pir Panjal. Nitin Gadkari said to start Work on Mughal road tunnel for better connectivity from Shopian to Poonch.


See also

* Aharbal * Shopian * Pahalgam * Kulgam * Kashmir Railway


References

{{Jammu and Kashmir topics Roads in Jammu and Kashmir Transport in Poonch District, India