Have we ever thought for a while that we really live in a small valley which is approximately 150 to 170 kilometers long and just around 30 to 40 kilometers wide?
Have we ever thought that our valley is shrinking day by day and heading towards a self-created disaster? Do we know that continuous constructions on the agricultural land will turn Kashmir valley into a desert one day when there would be not even a kanal of land available for us to cultivate paddy, corn, apples etc ?
Geographically Kupwara town is located towards the northern side of the Kashmir valley and towards south there lies the town of Qazigund, which is called the gateway of Kashmir. Pantachowk, Shalimar, Nishat etc. in Srinagar are located towards the east and on the west we find places such as Tangmarg, Pattan and some other adjoining areas. The fertile, plain agricultural land lies in between these areas and it is this fertile, high quality agricultural land which is shrinking at an alarming speed from the last couple of decades . This is a matter of serious concern because the agriculture land is being converted into commercial hubs, residential colonies, highways etc and if this does not stop immediately , one can only see concrete buildings, shopping malls, roads and highways in Kashmir valley after another decade or so and the Kashmirs paddy fields, orchards, gardens and parks would be a history for our future generation.
Main reason for the land shrinkage in Kashmir valley:
1. Construction of Highways & Railways
2. Private & Government Constructions
3. Increase in Population
Negative impact of Highways & Railways:
Just ten to fifteen years back the valley of Kashmir gave a perfect image of lush, green countryside but due to insatiable greed for money and dipping profits in agriculture, the paddy fields of the valley continue to be buried under massive road projects, railways and highways . Thousands of acres of agricultural land in Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam, and Baramulla was acquired during the construction of Qazigund Baramulla railway project and if this railway project is further extended upto Kupwara Government will require more than one hundred thousand hectares of land. We must keep this thing in mind that for constructing the said railway line high quality apple orchards from Sopore to Kupwara via Langate and Handwara would be no more and in addition to it thousands of hectares of paddy land has to be sacrificed too. At present thousands of hectares of fertile land between Pampore and Qazigund has already been acquired for the widening of Srinagar Jammu national highway (NH 1) and this has drastically reduced the rice production in Anantnag and Pulwama areas which are the main rice producing areas of Kashmir.
Other Constructions:
People keep selling their ancestral land on high rates across the valley every day and this land is being converted into shopping complexes , residential colonies by various private construction companies not only from J&K but many prominent real estate companies based in Delhi and Mumbai have also starting investing in Kashmir valley. The outskirts of Srinagar and other adjoining towns and districts of the valley, which used to present a visual feast for the eyes, are today being deprived of their historic countryside ambience.
Increasing Population:
The increase in population is indeed one of the reasons for urbanization and conversion of agricultural land into residential colonies as agriculture continues to be a largely non-profit- making activity in Kashmir and that is why farmers sell their ancestral lands to real estate dealers and individuals who come with handsome offers. We must know the population is increasing in other towns and cities of India and adjoining countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh as well. Massive land is available in such countries , so there wont be serious problem for the next two to three decades in these countries including India , but Kashmir being a small fragile and eco sensitive valley cannot afford to undergo such a massive urbanization in the upcoming years.
Combating desertification & drought:
If the conversion of agricultural land in Kashmir continues at the same pace as we are observing right now the valley would not only be converted into a concrete desert but it would lead to a drought like situation in future as the local agriculture and horticulture produce would decrease drastically. The International day to Combat Desertification (June 17th) has been observed by UN since 1995 to promote public awareness relating to international cooperation to combat desertification and the effects of drought. The theme of the 2014 World Day to Combat Desertification is ecosystem-based adaptation, with the slogan: Land Belongs to the Future, Lets Climate Proof It The objectives of the 2014 World Day to Combat Desertification are to Increase the attention given to land and soil within climate change adaptation and to mobilize support for sustainable land management
Solution:
The Government cannot shy away from its responsibilities to overcome the serious issue of agriculture land conversion. As per various land revenue laws no one can convert agriculture land especially the paddy land (aabi aawal) for some commercial purpose, but all this happens under the nose of revenue officials who get heavy cuts from the land mafia, and people involved in real estate business. Construction of subways, underground roads, railways and metros has to be undertaken without any delay. For example if Government plans to extend the railway line beyond Baramulla to Kupwara, the laying of underground railway line would be a better option as this would save the apple orchards and paddy fields of Sopore, Baramulla, Langate, Handwara and Kupwara areas. Similarly instead to widening the Srinagar Jammu highway a half a dozen new flyovers between Srinagar and Qazigund could have helped reduce the traffic jams. At least from next year onwards Government must closely monitor creation of new housing colonies. Religious leaders ,civil society activists , journalists must seriously think over this issue and build a public pressure on the authorities and mobilize the society as well. We cannot afford to develop Kashmir on the pattern of Haryana , Delhi or Rajasthan , we have very less plain land available in Kashmir and authorities need to handle Kashmirs development in a different way . Unless the state government moves in quickly, the coming generations will get to see Kashmir’s lush green paddy fields & orchards only in photo albums. Our administrators , architects , engineers and planners have to be very serious about this issue as this is the matter of our survival now.
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