Chenab Valley
The Chenab Valley is a river valley formed by the Chenab River. The term is also used to refer to the regions of the Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts of Jammu Division in Jammu and Kashmir, India. These districts were formerly part of a single district, called Doda. Name. The name derives from the Chenab river, which flows through and forms the valley. The term "Chenab valley" was used by Erik Norin in a 1926 journal article "The Relief Chronology of Chenab Valley", to refer to the valley formed by the Chenab river in the Himalayas. More recently , this term has also come to be used by various social activists and politicians referring to the areas of the former Doda district formed in 1948. The term is used by many residents of Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar districts to assert a distinct cultural identity within the larger Jammu division. Geography. 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. The area is an active seismic zone. History. 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. The reasons for this migration in the 17th and 18th centuries are a matter of ambiguity among historians. Sumantra Bose says that repression by the feudal class in the Kashmir valley drew people to these areas. The three districts consist of areas drawn from the principalities of Kishtwar and Bhadarwah, both of which were part of Udhampur district in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. In addition, Paddar used to part of Chamba State in the past and was later added  to the princely state. Kashmiris form the largest group in the three districts while Gujjars, Dogras, Paharis and Bhaderwahis have significant population. Chenab Valley is rich in cultural heritage and ethical values, but also has age-old traditions of secularism and tolerance. Demographics. Religion. Muslims form a majority in the three districts constituting Chenab Valley. About 60% of the population was Muslim according to the 2011 census, and the rest 40% are mostly Hindus. Language. 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, which is the most widely spoken language in the region, Gojri, Kishtwari, Bhaderwahi, Sarazi, Dogri, Rambani, Pogali, Pahari, Bhalessi, and Padri. Tourism. The area has many tourist destinations, including: Demands for Divisional Status. There has been a movement demanding divisional 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. 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. 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. 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. The districts of the proposed Chenab Valley consists of six Assembly seats. The Bhartiya Janata Party maintains that "there is no Chenab valley and it is only the Jammu division for  representation of the region", 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. 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. Hill Development Council. 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).