Chenab Valley | |
|---|---|
 Chenab River at Ramban | |
| 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) |
| Languages | |
| • Spoken | |
| Districts | |
| Public Works (R&B) Department | Chenab Zone[2] |
| Department of Forest | Chenab Circle[3] |
Chenab Valley is a term used to refer to parts of theJammu Division ofJammu and Kashmir, India.[4] The term is used to refer to the present-day districts ofDoda,Kishtwar,Ramban, and, at times,Reasi and parts ofUdhampur andKathua.[5] The first three districts used to be part of a single former district called Doda, which was created in 1948 out of the eastern parts ofUdhampur district of theprincely state ofJammu and Kashmir, and are sometimes collectively referred to as theDoda belt.[6][a][7] The Chenab Valley, encompassing the Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban districts in the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir, India, has a population where Muslims form a majority. A significant portion of this Muslim population is ethnically Kashmiri.[8]
The name "Chenab Valley" derives from the Chenab River, a lifeline that carves through the valley. This term has come to be used by various social activists and politicians referring to the areas of the former Doda district[a] formed in 1948.[1][9]The term is used by many residents ofDoda,Ramban,Kishtwar districts to assert a distinct cultural identity within the largerJammu division.[10][11]
The Chenab Valley lies between the middle and greatHimalayan range in theJammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It constitutes parts of theDoda,Ramban, andKishtwar districts of Jammu and Kashmir.[1][12] The area is an activeseismic zone.[13]
The various areas referred to as "Chenab Valley" used to be part of the principalities ofBhaderwah,Kishtwar,Chamba, and other smaller principalities which were annexed by theDogras ofJammu, who made them part of the Dogra princely state of Jammu and Kashmir established following theTreaty 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 bySarazi population before people started settling here from the Kashmir valley and other adjoining areas.[14][15] The reasons for this migration in the 17th and 18th centuries are a matter ofambiguity among historians.[16]Sumantra Bose says that repression by the feudal class in the Kashmir valley drew people to these areas.[17][18] Chenab Valley is rich in cultural heritage and ethical values, but also has age-old traditions of secularism and tolerance.[17]
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 includingRanas, 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.[19]
English travellerG.T. Vigne visited Doda in 1829 and described his journey through the region. He mentions traveling through a deep and rockynullah which joins theChenab River,[b] 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.[20][21]
In 1948, the erstwhile Udhampur district was partitioned into the presentUdhampur district, containing the Udhampur andRamanagar tehsils, andDoda district containing theRamban,Bhadarwah,Doda,Thathri andKishtwar tehsils.[22][17][23]
From 1975 to 1976, theGovernment of India conducted thePreinvestment 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.[24][25]
In 1990s, various incidents were reported about the suppression of Hindus by theMilitant 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 beanti-Muslim. Since the 1990s, many such incidents of killings by terrorists and VDCs have been reported.[26]
In 2006,Ramban was made into an independent district and the hilly area to the east of the present Doda district was separated as theKishtwar district. The remaining areas include the Doda tehsil carved out of Kishtwar and the original Bhadarwah, now divided into three tehsils.[22][27]
| Sex Ratio in Chenab Valley in 2011 Census.[28] (no. females per 1,000 males) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Religion (and population) | Sex Ratio | |||
| Muslim (pop 554,355) | 932 | |||
| Hindu (pop 362,578) | 884 | |||
| Other (pop 7,412) | 722 | |||
| Total (pop 924,345) | 913 | |||
Muslims form a majority in the three districts constituting Chenab Valley and most of them are ethnically Kashmiris.[29]
About 60% of the population was Muslim according to the2011 census, and the rest 40% are mostly Hindus.
Chenab Valley is home to a variety of ethnic groups. Officially,Urdu andEnglish are used, but the Chenab Valley is home to a variety of languages, includingKashmiri—spoken by almost half of the population,[31]Gojri,Kishtwari,Bhaderwahi,Sarazi,Dogri,Rambani,Pogali,Pahari,Bhalessi, andPadri.[32]
As of 2023[update], theDIG of Police has a separate post for Chenab Valley known as theDKR Range; the R&B Department has now created a distinct zone forChenab; and Chenab Valley has its own Forest Circle known asChenab Forest Circle.[2] Amilitia named asVillage Defence Guards was established in 1996 to fight anti-militancy operations in Chenab Valley.[33]
Dagan top Aaram kundDigaam (gohra gali)
All of these are "run-of-the-river" projects as per theIndus 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 ashydropower. India is entitled to store up to 1.2 millionacre-feet (1.5 billioncubic 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).[34]
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.[35] The demand again rose in 2018 and 2019 whenLadakh got divisional status and the former Chief Minister ofJammu and Kashmir,Omar Abdullah added "Two Separate Divisional Status for Chenab Valley andPir Panjal Region" to his party's political agenda.[36] As of 2021, the movement for divisional status again increased after rumours of second bifurcation of J&K and demand for a separate state ofJammu.[37] 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 theJammu division.[1] The districts of the proposed Chenab Valley consists of six Assembly seats.[38]
TheBhartiya Janata Party maintains that "there is no Chenab valley and it is only the Jammu division for representation of the region",[39] while theJKNC says that the demand is based on developmental negligence and wants separate divisions from Jammu division for Chenab valley and Pir Panjal.[40]
The areas of the three districts are termed as theDKR Range (Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range) by police and military officials, while a separate Deputy Inspector General is posted for this range byJ&K Police.[41]
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).[42]
In July 2015, then Chief Minister of Jammu and KashmirMufti 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.[43]
A 5.8 earthquake hit the erstwhile Doda on 1 May 2013, killing two and injuring 69.[44] 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.[45]
A cloudburst hit Hunzar hamlet in the Dachhan area ofKishtwar 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.[46] 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.[47]
