The Centre has put off three proposed railway projects in Kashmir to save apple orchards that were being impacted due to the proposed rail lines. The decision comes as a huge relief for local farmers who feared the axing of thousands of apple trees and their livelihood.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the decision to stop the railway projects was taken after the Jammu and Kashmir government and MPs from the state recommended against the construction of these projects to prevent damage to the orchards.
"The Jammu and Kashmir government and MPs from the state recommended against the construction of these rail lines. So we have stopped these three projects. There was concern about damage to apple orchards due to these projects, and therefore, they have been stopped," said Vaishnav.
For the last year, hundreds of farmers from Pulwama, Shopian districts and Bijbehara in Anantnag were fearing losing their orchards after railways carried out surveys and demarcation of land for the proposed construction of a railway line between Kakpora and Pulwama and Shopian districts, along with a railway line between Bijbehara and Pahalgam.
These are major apple-producing areas of Kashmir- the backbone of the Valley's rural economy. Fearing loss of their mainstay, locals held protests and demanded a rollback of projects for the rural economy and thousands of apple trees.
"It's a welcome decision. The proposed rail tracks could have destroyed our orchards, thousands of apple trees, displaced people and snatched their livelihood," said Ghulam Mohiudin Mir, MLA Rajpora in Pulwama.
Farmers had launched protests like the Chipko Movement, hugging apple trees as a mark of protest to save orchards against railway construction.
"We thank the government for the decision. The project was an environmental disaster. Lakhs of trees are now saved. We feel relieved that our orchard land is not snatched from us and our livelihood is saved," said Raja Waheed, a District Development Council member from Shopian.
