The railway bridge being constructed at Kauri, a hamlet in Jammu’s Reasi district, will stand 359 m above the Chenab River. The bridge is supposed to complete by December 2009. Once completed it will dethrone the Millau Viaduct of France (343 metres) as the the World’s highest bridge deck. Built at a cost of more than 600 Cr Rupees, the bridge will be 1315 metres long.
Here’s a NDTV new report from year 2007.
Misty Mountains and the Road
The weather was rainy. Air cool, it must be raining somewhere. Raindrops, not so frequently, hit the windscreen and became water..
Traffic slowed down to a crawl and then stopped completely. During some stretches of the highway, this road becomes a one way narrow lane ploughed in the mountain range.
The vehicle stopped, it’s going to take some time for the traffic to get going again. The driver jumped out. All the people in the bus got talking, shared some old stories and some domestic gossip. The truck drivers of this route seen to have a peculiar habit. If the spot be right, they make it a point to park the truck right parallel to the edge of the gorge. Those big fat tyres sit just inches away for the plunging depth of hundreds or thousands of feet – it makes no difference to them if it’s hundreds or thousands, they just park their truck and get out of the other door. Is this a fool proof method to protect the truck from truckjackers? Or is it their institutionalized method of maximizing the road surface area so that other vehicles can still pass by while their truck just sits on the corner of the narrow road. I don’t know.
Time passed, the traffic snarled back to life. But our driver was nowhere to be seen. From the window we looked for him in every direction. Minuted passed, a plastic ghee dibba in hand, our driver came walking down a nearby mountain pathway looking calm and content. Jangal pani. He got into the vehicle and put the dibba back at its place, under the seat. I don’t think he washed his hands.
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The area around Banihal looks kind of strange. Some things here seem to suggest it is culturally closer Kashmir and some things that make it look like part of Jammu district. A masjid seemed to be designed like those in Kashmir, particularly like charar-e-sharif.
The dhabbas lining the road make it a point to tell you that they are offer 100% pure Hindu vegetarian Vaishnav food, and the dhabba right next to it advertises 100% pure Muslim Non-vegetarian ‘Waazwan’.
Gogji
Gogji. Turnip. Gonglu.
A vegetabele.
A place in Srinagar called Gogji Bagh, Turnip garden.
A pandit who left Kashmir ages ago, but misses kashmir: Gogji Batt’e.
A song to be sung like a Kashmiri singing a Punjabi or a dogri song: Asi Gonglu pakaya, tusi khaan nahi aya. hata lo lo.
Nab’Ga’gal
The man used to walk around the old mohalla of the city wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. Sun or no sun, morning, afternoon or sun-down, those dark glasses were always resting on the bridge of his beak. Hidden behind those dark shades, his sharp roving eyes, each one of the pair working independently, used to look for any and all unusual activities, foreign spies and people who frequently indulged in dangerous stories. He had his eyes on everyone and no body could tell. He could be looking at you and he could not be looking at you. This man was no ordinary man, he was a secret agent, his mind was always taking notes and the sunglasses were a perfect cover for his covert art. These sunglasses were his weapon of choice.
The man was C.I.D, it was well known. Goggles long ago gave away his ruse. People knew it all and they had a hearty laugh everytime he walked past. In the city, this man became known as ‘Nab’Ga’gal‘, Nabi of Dark Sun Goggles.
infamous Khooni Nala
Before passing through the Banihal tunnel, one has to pass through a stretch of road simply known as Khooni Nala. Here the human race battles the powerful forces of nature. And you can almost see this struggle. Man maybe winning but once in a while nature lands in a crushing blow.
Khooni Nala got this name because of the alarming number of people who died in road mishaps and accidents at this very spot. It is the “Killer Rivulet”.
A steel mesh structure (a rather recent engineering solution) protects the passing vehicles from falling boulders. The steel nets need to be replaced every few months. During winter, this stretch of road becomes avalanche prone.
From the road in this area, you can see mountains that just seem to be melting away, eroding swiftly, mountains turning into sand and stone, mountains flowing down into rivers.
another dhabba at Peerah
Tourists and travelers waiting for their fix – Rajma Chawal.
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Previous post on famous dhabba of Peerah
on road, Baglihar Dam, Chenab
That’s no monastery perched on top of a hill.
Baglihar Dam on river Chenab as seen from a place called Peerah.
Baglihar Dam, also known as Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project, is a run-of-the-river power project on the Chenab River in the southern Doda district of the Indian administered state of Jammu and Kashmir. This project was conceived in 1992, approved in 1996 and construction began in 1999. The project is estimated to cost USD $1 billion. The first phase of the Baglihar Dam was completed in 2004. On completion on 10 October 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India dedicated the 450-MW Baglihar hydro electric power project to the nation.
In the 90s, this project was a one of the major source of discontent between India and Pakistan. Matter was sorted out amicably with the help of World Bank. Without doubt ‘Water’ is going to be the big issue of future.
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Added this image to wikipedia page about Baglihar.
on road, Kud
Photographs around Kud.
Kud, around 103 Kms away from Jammu, is a place of some great scenic beauty. Kud is popular as a spot for trekking and camping. But among the people of Jammu, Kud is famous for its sweets and sweet shops, actually the famous shop is just one. These sweets are made in the purest desi ghee possible. Pickles, aanchar, of Kud are equally famous.
Shiny steel roof tops of houses.
Birdworld Mall. Kud will be next know for this establishment. Hiring process for birds is still on.
Pine trees. Electric wires.
NH1-A to Srinagar, built precariously along ravines, cutting thorugh dicey mountain sides, at times too narrow, nature reclaiming the ground, never too wide, is a highway of diesel fumes, trucks and buses. Kud provides some respite during the journey.
Habba Kadal, old and new
A boy looking at the old bridge of Habba Kadal from the new bridge of Habba Kadal.
A ghat, rusty dome of an old temple, another old temple and in the distance, new mobile towers. Eagles are the same.
Trounz: Strange creature from Kashmir
Trounz ain’t no ordinary Ponz.
One year, news spread all over Kashmir about a strange looking creature. It looked like an ape but had very little flesh or muscles on it, it was thin, in fact it was bone and skeleton, and hence its name: trounz. Trounz was believed to have emerged from underneath the earth, somewhere near Baramulla. But some people recalled that in older times trounz could even be sighted in cities in great numbers. The truth however was that nobody knew anything about trounz.
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ponz: monkey
Image: Morlocks from the film H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine(1960). Morlocks were a fictional species created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel, The Time Machine. Morlocks dwelled underground in the English countryside of A.D. 802,701 in a troglodyte civilization, maintaining ancient machines that they may or may not remember how to build. Their only access to the surface world is through a series of well structures that dot the countryside of future England.
