Protect agricultural land in Kashmir: Altaf Bukhari

Srinagar, Jan 1: Stressing the importance of protecting agricultural and horticultural land in Kashmir, Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari stated that the valley has already lost a large portion of this land to the construction of houses, commercial buildings, and urbanization, causing irreparable damage.

In a statement, he called on the government to engage with the experts, the stakeholders, and conduct a thorough assessment of the potential loss of land before proceeding with large developmental projects in the valley. Bukhari said, “Agriculture and allied sectors, besides providing employment to a large section of the population, contribute significantly to J&K’s GDP. However, unfortunately, we are rapidly losing land to urbanization and building constructions. Significant damage has already been done in this regard. Therefore, it is imperative that we remain highly vigilant in protecting farmland and orchards.”

He added that the government must take the opinions of experts and stakeholders into consideration and conduct a thorough assessment of the potential loss of land before proceeding with large developmental projects, including the proposed Pahalgam rail project, the proposed NIT campus in Newa Pulwama, and the construction of satellite colonies along the Ring Road. “In all these projects, the valley could potentially lose a significant portion of fertile farmland and orchards, leaving affected people grappling with permanent losses and creating devastating consequences,” he added.

Bukhari said that nobody should be against developmental projects, but these projects should not come at the cost of our lush green paddy fields, fertile horticultural land, and forested areas.