Srinagar- Railway line expansion plans in Jammu and Kashmir have hit a roadblock as the residents of a village in South Kashmir’s Shopian district have objected to the laying of the rail line through their orchard areas.
The railways recently sanctioned the final location survey of five lines, including the doubling of the Baramulla-Banihal section (135.5 km), Baramulla-Uri (50 km), Sopore-Kupwara (33.7 km), Awantipora-Shopian (27.6 km) and Anantnag-Bijbehara-Pahalgam (77.5 km).
However, residents of Zainapora village of the south Kashmir district objected to the land-marking process for the railway line in the area. The survey by the railways has triggered opposition from the fruit growers as they fear it would lead to the loss of their orchards.
On its part, the administration said it is only an announcement by the government and no final decision has been taken so far.
The fruit growers have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to do justice to them.
“This orchard is all I have. If railway line goes through this, then I want to tell Modi ji that I will kill all my family members here,” a protestor said.
Another protester said the village depends on the orchards as it is a means of sustenance for them.
“We have been growing fruits for the last 50-60 years. We are not opposed to railway line, but they should not lay it through our village,” the protesting farmer said.
Political parties in the valley have also raised the issue.
Former chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said in a post on X, “Building railway lines through Kashmir without taking into consideration its ecological impact is fraught with dire consequences. In this case the proposed railway line will necessitate the felling of apple orchards at Shopian.
“Request @manojsinha_ ji to involve a panel of environmental experts before taking such major decisions,” she said.
National Conference (NC) asked the government to consider shifting of the proposed railway line as it would affect scores of acres of orchard land, which would inevitably impact the local ecology.
“In this case, the proposed railway line will necessitate the cutting of apple orchards in these areas. Needless to say, these orchards are the only source of income for the locals.
“Robbing them off their productive lands will leave them financially crippled as they are totally dependent on these orchards for their livelihood,” NC state spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.
He said the administration should have taken the locals into confidence before going ahead with the work.
Dar called for relocating the project by utilising state-owned land instead.
CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami said the survey has created panic among the residents who fear for their livelihoods.
“The survey should not be carried out recklessly as it could impact the livelihood of locals. The concerns of apple cultivators in apple-rich villages of south Kashmir should be taken into consideration, and efforts should be made to minimise any potential losses,” he said.
Shopian Deputy Commissioner Faz Lul Haseeb said only an announcement has been made by the government and nothing has been finalised yet.
“Nothing has been done yet. This is an initial stage,” Haseeb told PTI.
He said a recce has been done by the railways on which some people have protested “but nothing else has been done yet”.
“I am looking into it and there is nothing from our side. We will see to it,” he added.
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