SACRIFICING SERENITY | Bittersweet tale of Srinagar-Baramulla highway widening

Baramulla, Nov 12: The project of four-lane Srinagar-Baramulla highway and the double lane Baramulla-Uri highway is underway in silent transformation.
The project is a symbol of progress and connectivity, however, it brings a sad exchange between development and the environment.

As the development paves the way for enhanced road connectivity, the price paid is etched in the felling of 1662 majestic trees along the highway.
Among them, the proud sentinels of the landscape, the Chinar trees, stand tall, awaiting the inevitable.

The whispers of the mulberry and popular trees, once providing shade and solace, are now overshadowed by the impending hum of progress.
In the stretch from Narbal to Delina, where memories of a tranquil highway linger, the landscape is changing.
At least 1509 poplar trees have bowed down, 38 mulberry trees have met the saw. And Chinar trees numbering 36 had been marked for axes.

However, beyond the documented numbers lies an ominous silence from Delina to Uri, where countless more trees face the axe in the name of progress.
The highway, once a canvas of greenery, is now caught in the crossroads of development and environmental preservation.

The Srinagar-Baramulla highway, once a serene ribbon weaving through nature's bounty, now witnesses the clash between nostalgia and modernity.
In old photographs, locals adorned the road, and the scarce traffic allowed moments of contemplation under the refreshing shades of the trees.
Farooq Ahmad, a local, said that the four-lane project of Srinagar-Baramulla highway has been a most awaited project to be accomplished.

“Although the road widening will come at the cost of losing our green wealth, however, with thousands of vehicles being added up each month and roads being the same as they were decades back, the widening of the highway is inevitable,” he said. “The population has increased manifold, while the roads are the same as they were decades back. The life standard of the people too has risen so has vehicles be it two wheelers or four wheelers. Such a development comes at some cost and the worst hit is always the environment and that is the reality.”

Mushtaq Ahmad, another resident of Baramulla, said, “Tree is lifeline for us, axing them is like cutting our lifeline. Somewhere we need to draw a line.”

As we navigate this delicate balance between progress and preservation, the story of Srinagar-Baramulla highway unfolds - a story of sacrifice, where the whispers of the felled trees echo through time, reminding us that development, though essential, comes at a cost to the very soul of the landscape we strive to improve.