Jammu, March 10 : The Jammu & Kashmir unit of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has urged the administration to view the upcoming Amarnath Yatra 2026 as a major opportunity to place the religious and natural tourism potential of the Jammu division on the global map.
A delegation led by the party’s J&K State President Manish Sahni met Dr. Vikas Gupta, Director Tourism, and submitted a detailed memorandum in this regard.
Addressing the media, Sahni said that every year, millions of pilgrims visit Jammu to pay obeisance to Baba Barfani, but the city has so far been viewed only as a transit or stopover point. He said that the Amarnath Yatra offers a golden opportunity to promote the Dogra heritage and glorious history, including religious sites, but this has not yet been fully exploited.
Sahni demanded the creation of a well-planned religious tourism circuit by linking the prominent religious and historical sites of Jammu. He also suggested launching a special free “Jammu Darshan” bus service from the railway station and base camps so that pilgrims can visit important landmarks such as Raghunath Temple, Bawe Wali Mata Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple and Amar Mahal Palace.
He further stressed that during the Amarnath Yatra these religious and historical sites should be widely promoted and branded so that visiting pilgrims carry back lasting memories of Jammu and are encouraged to return as tourists in the future.
“Shiv Sena Offers Volunteers as Guides for Pilgrims”
Sahni said that Shiv Sena is ready to extend full cooperation to the administration in this initiative. He added that the party has offered to deploy its volunteers as guides in the buses to inform visiting pilgrims about the religious and historical significance of Jammu.
He further said that Dr. Vikas Gupta assured the delegation that the department would take positive steps to promote Jammu as a major tourism hub during the Amarnath Yatra and that proposals such as the “Jammu Darshan” package would be considered seriously. On this occasion Raju Kapoor( Co-chairman) , Sanjay Bhat (Gen Secretary (Org.) , Aditya Mahajan (Vice president) were present.