Jhelum River Cruise: The Plan seems workable
The way Srinagar city is witnessing traffic jams and clutter on the roads, a river cruise or the use of waterways to ease the stress on the roads seems the only option available right now.
Notably, for centuries, the River Jhelum had provided many answers to such problems but as we endorsed modernity we forgot the importance of river water ways and their utility. The river Jhelum was not just water flowing through Srinagar. It was the city’s road, its market, its lifeline.
Timber rafts, shikaras, and cargo boats moved people and goods from Khanabal to Kadinyar and this continued for centuries. The river was and still is connected with various water ways with the Dal and Nageen lake which made travel easier, cheap and comfortable.
The Jhelum river shaped Srinagar’s ghats, bridges, economy, and culture. Then came roads. As highways and buses took over, the Jhelum slowly slipped out of daily life. Water transport faded, and with it, a part of Kashmir’s identity.
Now, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, with the Inland Waterways Authority of India, is preparing to bring the river back into public life through an ambitious River Cruise Transport Project. The move signals that this is not just an idea on paper anymore.
If done right, this project can do far more than give tourists a scenic ride. Srinagar’s roads are choked. Morning and evening traffic, rising vehicle numbers, and narrow city lanes make commuting stressful. A river cruise offers a parallel, eco-friendly mobility option.
Boats don’t need fuel-guzzling traffic jams. They don’t add to air pollution or carbon emissions. By shifting even a fraction of local commuters and tourists to the water, the Jhelum can ease pressure on roads while cutting emissions. This is green mobility rooted in Kashmir’s own geography.
Kashmir’s tourism has long centered on gardens, lakes, and mountains. The Jhelum cruise adds a new layer: heritage tourism on water. Passengers will travel past historic bridges, old ghats, and the living riverfront that defines Srinagar. This is not just sightseeing. It’s storytelling.
Each bridge and bend has a history. A cruise can connect visitors to the city’s past while creating jobs for boat operators, guides, terminal staff, and local artisans along the banks. It diversifies tourism beyond seasonal peaks and spreads economic benefits along the river corridor.
Importantly, rivers are a memory. For generations, Kashmiris lived with the Jhelum — for trade, transport, and daily life. Bringing back regulated water transport revives that relationship. It reminds a new generation that development doesn’t always mean paving over the past. It also creates public spaces. Well-designed terminals with embarkation and disembarkation facilities can become community hubs, much like metro stations, but with the character of the river.
Interestingly, water transport is one of the most fuel-efficient modes. Compared to road, it uses less energy and with electric or low-emission boats, the project can align with climate goals while protecting air quality in the Valley.
The Jhelum cruise is more than boats on water. It is about reclaiming an asset Kashmir already has. In a time of climate stress, when water bodies are under pressure, using the river wisely for transport and tourism shows how tradition and modern planning can work together.
If implemented with vision, the Jhelum River Cruise can reduce traffic, create livelihoods, cut pollution, and reconnect Srinagar to the river that gave it life. Kashmir has always moved with the Jhelum. It is time to let the river move Kashmir again.
