Railway expansion gives sleepless nights to Shopian’s apple farmers

Shopian, Mar 17:  A recently macadamised road winding its way through dense apple orchards from Shopian town, some 66 km south of Srinagar, leads to Reshipora village.

The small village comprising 300 households has been in deep distress since the Railway authorities started carrying out a survey in the village for laying a railway track.

The proposed railroad cuts through the apple farms in the apple-rich village, raising fears among the residents of losing large swathes of land to the railway project.

The Centre has begun expanding the railway infrastructure in J&K.

Apart from the construction of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), which connects Jammu with Kashmir, the government has completed the Final Location Surveys (FLS) for several other rail lines in Kashmir including the 27.6 km new line between Awantipora and Shopian.

VILLAGE IN GRIEF

The village is engulfed in distress with anguish etched on every face.

Over the last few weeks, the disconcerted farmers have made fervent appeals to the government to divert the proposed line from the village.

“Around 75 to 85 percent of residents are bound to lose their apple farms if the railway line is laid through the village,” said Abdul Ghani Reshi, a resident and apple cultivator.

He said that the demarcation by the railway officials in the village was giving them sleepless nights.

The entire village relies on apple cultivation for its livelihood, with over 85 percent of the district’s population directly or indirectly reliant on the apple economy.

Last week, the farmers hit the streets to protest against the acquisition of land by the railways after a knot of officials suddenly showed up in their apple farms to demarcate the land.

“We will be left with nothing. These orchards are the only source of our livelihood. The move will result in the felling of thousands of apple trees in the area,” said Muzaffar Ahmad Malik, a farmer.

Malik’s orchard sprawls over 6 kanal and has been earmarked for the railway line.

“It took me more than 25 years to raise this orchard and now when it has entered the full fruit-bearing stage, the government is all set to snatch it from me,” Malik said.

POLITICS AND PROTESTS

The village is part of the Zainapora assembly constituency (earlier Watchi).

The area has been the stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Former chief minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti was elected to the Assembly from the area in 2008.

Earlier, the constituency was held by the CPI (M).

The protests by the farmers evoked strong reactions from both parties.

Mufti took to X and wrote: “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 in Shopian.”

Mufti requested Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to involve a panel of experts before taking such a major decision.

Senior CPI (M) Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami told Greater Kashmir that the government should have taken the concerns of apple farmers into account before carrying out the survey.

“They are doing it recklessly. It will significantly impact the livelihood of the people,” he said.

COUNTER VOICES

Some fruit growers in the district, which is known for producing first-rate apples, believe that the railway line would boost the local economy.

“It is a good move by the government as it will help in easy and swift transportation of the produce,” said Peer Shabir, an orchardist from the district.

Another fruit grower said that the concerns of some farmers were genuine, but the rail connectivity was equally crucial for the apple economy.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shopian, Fazlul Haseeb told Greater Kashmir that the administration had taken note of the farmers’ concerns and were looking into it.