WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: PDP President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday raised serious concerns over three upcoming projects in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Rajouri-Baramulla Highway Project, Railway network expansion, and satellite township.
Former Chief Minister said these expansions are uprooting thousands of people and disrupting our fields. Alongside this, deforestation is happening on a large scale. The natural resources, like our streams, rivers, and small water bodies, are being destroyed due to mining and construction activities associated with these projects. The water table is depleting, and our orchards and farms are losing access to water.
These three projects—particularly the Rajouri to Banihal expansion—will have devastating impacts. There’s hardly a district, especially agricultural lands, that won’t be affected. Even at the peak of militancy, our agriculture and horticulture sectors sustained Jammu and Kashmir’s economy. But now, I fear that those in power are not satisfied with the destruction already inflicted on us, she said.
Adding that Mehbooba said the remaining resources we have, they want to exploit further. For instance, they are targeting Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination, and nearby villages with plans to take over their lands. This reminds me of what happened in Joshimath and in Pakistan during Imran Khan’s tenure. Unplanned development led to disasters in those places. Here, too, it seems to be more about contractor interests than public welfare.
Why do we need new roads when existing roads and tunnels already serve the purpose? As for the Ring Road project, people living within 500 meters on both sides have been told no construction is allowed. The compensation offered is peanuts. Whenever a law needs to be implemented to exploit us, they enforce it swiftly, she said.
Mehbooba said after Article 370 was revoked, they passed laws to ensure even more of our land could be taken away. For the Ring Road, outdated laws were used to provide meager compensation.
I remember during Omar Abdullah’s tenure, even back then, we raised our voices. Today, we demand that instead of mega projects that destroy our resources, the government should focus on genuine development. Which roads have been built? Where are the trains? We don’t need development at the cost of our land and identity, she said.
I won’t go into what was promised before the elections, but I must make this request to you. What is within your power today should be acted upon. We might strive for what is out of our hands, but what we already have—the little that remains—must be protected. Farmers are suffering in silence. They are afraid to speak up because they fear being jailed if they raise their voices, she said.
We thought that with a new government, people’s fears would diminish, but that hasn’t happened. So, I appeal to the current government to focus on what can be saved. For example, Srinagar town is being reshaped to accommodate outsiders. Families living here for generations are being displaced. I am not saying that people from other regions shouldn’t come here, but don’t destroy what we have in the process, Mehbooba said.
Adding that she said I urge the authorities to intervene in ongoing projects like the construction of roads, including the Ring Road and railway projects, to assess how much destruction they are causing. If there is still a chance to save what remains, it must be done. As Kashmiris, we cannot expect miracles from them, but at least they should preserve what is left.
Mufti has raised concerns over the government’s proposal to construct 30 satellite townships along the Srinagar Ring Road, a project that would require approximately 1.2 lakh kanals (15,000 acres) of land, predominantly prime agricultural and horticultural areas.
“If the townships are to decongest the Srinagar city where four or more families live in a single house it’s a welcome step, we appreciate, why is government silent on who its stakeholders are and implementation”, she asked.
