Chenab Valley | |
---|---|
Nicknames: Chenab-belt, Chenab region | |
Country | India |
Union Territory | Jammu and Kashmir |
Lok Sabha constituency | Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha Constituency |
Government | |
• Body | Government of Jammu and Kashmir |
Area | |
• Total | 11,885 km2 (4,589 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Total | 924,345 |
• Density | 78/km2 (200/sq mi) |
Demonym | Chenabi |
Languages | |
• Spoken | |
Districts | |
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) | Shridhar Patil (IPS) [2] |
Militia | Village Defence Guards |
Public Works (R&B) Department | Chenab Zone [3] |
Department of Forest | Chenab Circle [4] |
Chenab Valley | |
Geology | |
Type | River Valley |
Location | Jammu and Kashmir, India |
State/Province | Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) |
Population centers | Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar |
Borders on | Anantnag District & Kulgam District to its north, Kargil District on its east, Rajouri District on its west and Udhampur district, Kathua District and Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on its south |
Traversed by | NH244 |
Rivers |
Chenab Valley is a term [lower-alpha 1] refers to present-day districts of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir. [5] These three districts used to be part of a single former district called Doda, which was created in 1948 out of the eastern parts of Udhampur district of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, and are sometimes collectively referred to as the Doda belt. [6] [lower-alpha 2] [7]
The name "Chenab Valley" derives from the Chenab River, a lifeline that carves through the valley. The term was first reportedly introduced by Erik Norin in a 1926 journal article, and has since been embraced by residents and activists to emphasize the region’s distinct cultural and geographical identity. Meanwhile, the people of Chenab Valley are referred as “Chenabis” or simply “Chenabi“. [8] [9] This term has come to be used by various social activists and politicians referring to the areas of the former Doda district [lower-alpha 2] formed in 1948. [1] [10] The term is used by many residents of Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar districts to assert a distinct cultural identity within the larger Jammu division. [11] [12]
The Chenab Valley lies between the middle and great Himalayan range in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It constitutes parts of the Doda, Ramban, and Kishtwar districts of Jammu and Kashmir. [1] [13] The area is an active seismic zone. [14]
The various areas referred to as "Chenab Valley" used to be part of the principalities of Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Chamba, and other smaller principalities which were annexed by the Dogras of Jammu, who made them part of the Dogra princely state of Jammu and Kashmir established following the Treaty of Amritsar (1846). During Dogra rule, most of these areas were part of the Udhampur district.
In the past, the area around Doda was largely inhabited by Sarazi population before people started settling here from the Kashmir valley and other adjoining areas. [15] [16] The reasons for this migration in the 17th and 18th centuries are a matter of ambiguity among historians. [17] Sumantra Bose says that repression by the feudal class in the Kashmir valley drew people to these areas. [18] [19] Chenab Valley is rich in cultural heritage and ethical values, but also has age-old traditions of secularism and tolerance. [18]
The early history of Chenab Valley is not well documented, with few chronicles available about the rulers of Kishtwar and Bhaderwah. The settlement reports indicate that the area was ruled by various groups including Ranas, Rajas, and independent chiefs from time to time, including the Jaral Ramas, Katoch Rajas, Bhaus Manhases, Chibs, Thakkars, Wanis, and Gakkars. In 1822 AD, Doda was conquered by Maharaja Gulab Singh and became the winter capital of the Kishtwar state. [20]
English traveller G.T. Vigne visited Doda in 1829 and described his journey through the region. He mentions traveling through a deep and rocky nullah which joins the Chenab River, [lower-alpha 3] and then crossing the river over a dangerous bridge in the Himalayas. Vigne writes about the bridge in Doda, a strong rope stretched from one bank to the other, tied to rocks. A wooden structure was placed over the rope and additional ropes were tied to it, allowing the structure to move back and forth. He also encountered another type of bridge, which was crossed on foot, made of small ropes bound with pieces of bark and woven into a thick rope. Hanging ropes were provided for support. [21] [22]
In 1948, the erstwhile Udhampur district was partitioned into the present Udhampur district, containing the Udhampur and Ramanagar tehsils, and Doda district containing the Ramban, Bhadarwah, Doda, Thathri and Kishtwar tehsils. [23] [18] [24]
From 1975 to 1976, the Government of India conducted the Preinvestment Survey of Forest Resources specifically in the Chenab Valley by Department of Agriculture. During this period, a detailed survey of forests in the Chenab Catchment area was done in Doda, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, and Ramban divisions of the forest. [25] [26]
In 1990s, various incidents were reported about the suppression of Hindus by the Militant organizations. In response to the rising terrorism, the government authorities made Village Defense Committee (VDC) in various villages. However, incidents of VDC members indulging in criminal activities have also been reported in the past. In a village called Karada, four Muslims were allegedly killed by VDC members. This incident also triggered the terrorist organisations to target those who supported the VDCs, believing them to be anti-Muslim. Since the 1990s, many such incidents of killings by terrorists and VDCs have been reported. [27]
In 2006, Ramban was made into an independent district and the hilly area to the east of the present Doda district was separated as the Kishtwar district. The remaining areas include the Doda tehsil carved out of Kishtwar and the original Bhadarwah, now divided into three tehsils. [23] [28]
Muslims form a majority in the three districts constituting Chenab Valley and they are ethnically Kashmiri or sometimes referred as Chenabi Kashmiris. [30]
About 60% of the population was Muslim according to the 2011 census, and the rest 40% are mostly Hindus.
Chenab Valley is home to a variety of ethnic groups. Officially, Urdu and English are used, but the Chenab Valley is home to a variety of languages, including Kashmiri—spoken by almost half of the population, [32] Gojri, Kishtwari, Bhaderwahi, Sarazi, Dogri, Rambani, Pogali, Pahari, Bhalessi, and Padri. [33]
As of 2023 [update] , the DIG of Police has a separate post for Chenab Valley known as the DKR Range; the R&B Department has now created a distinct zone for Chenab; and Chenab Valley has its own Forest Circle known as Chenab Forest Circle. [3] A militia named as Village Defence Guards was established in 1996 to fight anti-militancy operations in Chenab Valley. [34]
All of these are "run-of-the-river" projects as per the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. The Treaty allocates the waters of Chenab to Pakistan. India can use its water for domestic and agricultural uses or for "non-consumptive" uses such as hydropower. India is entitled to store up to 1.2 million acre-feet (1.5 billion cubic metres ) of water in its projects. The three projects completed as of 2011 [update] , Salal, Baglihar and Dul Hasti, have a combined storage capacity of 260 thousand acre-feet (320 million cubic metres). [35]
There has been a movement demanding separate administrative division for the Chenab valley by various social and political activists for long time. In 2014, a major protest was called in Doda for the demand of separate administrative division. [36] The demand again rose in 2018 and 2019 when Ladakh got divisional status and the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah added "Two Separate Divisional Status for Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal Region" to his party's political agenda. [37] As of 2021, the movement for divisional status again increased after rumours of second bifurcation of J&K and demand for a separate state of Jammu. [38] There is a common reason for this demand. People allege negligence in terms of developmental issues by the government if the Chenab valley remains linked to the Jammu division. [1] The districts of the proposed Chenab Valley consists of six Assembly seats. [39]
The Bhartiya Janata Party maintains that "there is no Chenab valley and it is only the Jammu division for representation of the region", [40] while the JKNC says that the demand is based on developmental negligence and wants separate divisions from Jammu division for Chenab valley and Pir Panjal. [41]
The areas of the three districts are termed as the DKR Range (Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range) by police and military officials, while a separate Deputy Inspector General is posted for this range by J&K Police. [42]
In 1996, Dr. Farooq Abdullah as Chief minister promised administrative autonomy to Chenab. Later in 2000, a bill demanding a Hill Development Council for Chenab valley was presented in the legislative assembly by the Sheikh Abdul Rehman (then MLA from Bhaderwah). [43]
In July 2015, then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayed, rules out demand of Chenab Valley Hill Council and announced Chenab Valley Development Fund (CVDF) for development and upliftment of mountainous and remote districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban. [44]
A 5.8 earthquake hit the erstwhile Doda on 1 May 2013, killing two and injuring 69. [45] Seismic activity continued in the valley throughout 2013, prompting teams of seismologists to study the area. A local belief was that the earthquakes were caused by hydroelectric construction projects in the area. [46]
A cloudburst hit Hunzar hamlet in the Dachhan area of Kishtwar district, resulting in 26 persons dead and 17 injured on 28 July 2021. As per reports, only seven dead bodies were recovered while 19 dead bodies were not found. [47] As of October 5, 2021, one out of 19 missing persons' dead bodies had been found after more than 70 days, while 18 others remained missing. [48]
The Chenab River is a major river that flows in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh, India. The Chenab flows through the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, into the plains of Punjab, Pakistan, before ultimately flowing into the Indus River. The Battle of Chenab was fought between Sikhs and Afghans on the bank of the river.
Doda district is an administrative district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.
Bhaderwah or Bhadarwah is a town, tehsil, and sub-district in the Doda district of Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
The Pir Panjal Range is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with its northwestern end extending into territory administered by Pakistan. The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges. Pir Panjal is the largest and westernmost range of the Lesser Himalayas. Near the bank of the Sutlej River, it dissociates itself from the main Himalayan range and forms a divide between the Beas and Ravi rivers on one side and the Chenab on the other. Further west, the Pir Panjal range forms the southwestern boundary of the Kashmir Valley, separating it from the hills of Jammu region, forming a divide between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers.
Doda is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Doda has an average elevation of 1,107 metres (3,632 ft).
Jammu and Kashmir is home to several valleys such as the Kashmir Valley, Chenab Valley, Sindh Valley and Lidder Valley. Some major tourist attractions in Jammu and Kashmir are Srinagar, with its renowned Dal Lake and Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Bhaderwah, Patnitop and Jammu. Every year, thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit holy shrines of Vaishno Devi and Amarnath which has had a significant impact on the state's economy.
Ramban district is an administrative district in the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is located in a valley surrounded the Pir Panjal range. It was carved out as a separate district from erstwhile Doda district in 2007. It is located in the Jammu division. The district headquarters are at Ramban town, which is located midway between Jammu and Srinagar along the Chenab river in the Chenab valley on National Highway-44, approximately 151 km from Jammu and Srinagar.
Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency is one of the six Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. The constituency covers 20,230 square kilometres of mountainous Himalayan terrain, and is comparable to the size of Israel. It is composed of the districts of Kishtwar, Ramban, Kathua, Doda, Reasi, and Udhampur. Udhampur constituency's population is over 2,400,000, and exceeds the population of New Mexico. The seat from 1967-1980 was held by Karan Singh, the former crown prince of Jammu and Kashmir.
Kishtwar district is an administrative district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the Jammu Division. As of 2011, it is the largest and the least populous district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Jammu division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is bordered by the Kashmir division to the north. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Most of the land is hilly or mountainous, including the Pir Panjal Range which separates it from the Kashmir Valley and part of the Great Himalayas in the eastern districts of Doda and Kishtwar. Its principal river is the Chenab.
The Western Himalayas are the western half of the Himalayas, in northwestern India and northern Pakistan. Four of the five tributaries of the Indus River in Punjab rise in the Western Himalayas; while the fifth, the Sutlej cuts through the range after rising in Tibet.
Thathri is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Thathri valley is located in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, about 85 km from Batote. Apart from having ample forests, the town contains many small streams flowing through its various parts. It is located on the banks of the Chenab River and the town area is spread over 1.50 sq. Km².
Jammu and Kashmir; is a region administered by India as a union territory and consists of the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. The Line of Control separates Jammu and Kashmir from the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north. It lies to the north of the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and to the west of Ladakh which is administered by India as a union territory.
Ababeel (ابابیل), also known as Ababeel NGO, is a charitable trust that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, food kits, and blood donations for the needy, poor, orphans, widows, and also in emergencies in the Chenab Valley's Doda, Kishtwar, Thathri, Bhaderwah, Gandoh, and also in the Jammu area. The organization assists people irrespective of caste and religion. It is registered with the Sub Registrar Court Doda.
Village Defence Guards (VDGs) formerly known as Village Defence Committees is a civilian militia first established in the mid-1990s in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir for the self-defence of locals, especially Hindus and vulnerable Muslims, in remote hilly villages against militancy. It consist of villagers as well as police officers.
Saraz or Siraj is a hilly region in the eastern part of the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. Historically a pargana within the erstwhile state of Kishtwar, the region currently takes up the northern half of Doda district and parts of neighbouring Ramban and Kishtwar districts. Its population in 2011 stood at 180,000 people. The region is defined mainly on the basis of linguistics where the majority of people speak Sarazi as their mother tongue.
Bhalessa is a geographical area within Doda district in the Jammu region of India-administered Kashmir. It consists of the Bunjwah and Bhalessa Valleys, and comprises the three Tehsils of Kahara, Chilly Pingal and Gandoh.
Pogali, or Poguli, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of the Chenab Valley in Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Its area encompasses the Pogal and Paristan, Ramsu Banihal Khari Reasi's village and cheneni, and currently falls within the of Ramban district's .Pogali is much mixed with Pahari and Zundhari, and forms a transition dialect. In 1911 the number of speakers was reported to be 8,158.Like its neighbours Sarazi and Rambani, Pogali is intermediate between Kashmiri and Western Pahari. During 1990s Some Pogali community families migrated due terrorism from Pogal Paristan to Ramban town and different parts of Udhampur District and Jammu District which have now thousands Pogali population resided permanently. But State and Central government did recognized as minority language in UT and India.
The Pir Panjal Region is a region located in the southwestern part of the Pir Panjal Range in the Jammu Division of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This name particularly refers to the districts of Poonch and Rajouri.