Sustainable Development, CM is right

Being an eco-fragile region, Jammu and Kashmir needs sustainable development to protect its water bodies, forests, mountains and glaciers. However, haphazard construction activities including road projects in fragile areas are taking a heavy toll on the environment.

There has been a massive outcry over the proposal to allocate 5000 kanals of productive land spreading eight villages in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district for construction of the National Institute of Technology (NIT).

The farmers and orchardists of Newa hamlet have been opposing setting up of a new NIT campus saying the project will bury their apple and almond orchards and hit their livelihood. The project will spell doom to the fragile eco-system in these villages.

Rising to these concerns, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah minced no words to say that if need be, the government will explore alternative locations for setting up NIT. “Development should align with local needs and sustainable practices. If people of Pulwama are opposing the project, we would identify non-productive lands and shift the proposed NIT to a more suitable location,” Omar said.

However, the CM maintained that “we cannot halt development. Development must go hand in hand with addressing those concerns. We will try our best to ensure that land for roads or railways is non-productive.” In the last over two decades, massive damage has been done to the environment due to haphazard development in Kashmir.

It is a stark fact that we have lost thousands of kanals of agricultural land to construction of railway tracks and new roads.

For the construction of Srinagar Ring Road, over 400 acres of farmland has been acquired in central Kashmir’s Budgam district alone. Taking cognisance of flooding of apple orchards due to construction of the road at Wathoora, the National Green Tribunal earlier this year issued notice to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Spanning 62 kilometers, the Srinagar Ring Road project is part of the Prime Minister’s Development Project (PMDP). The road will connect Pulwama district in south Kashmir with central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district through Budgam.

For construction of Srinagar-Baramulla highway, thousands of trees were felled, orchards and agriculture fields buried. Even the famous green tunnel comprising the tree line, which featured in various old Bollywood films, on both sides of the Baramulla highway has vanished.

Now there is another proposal to connect Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu with Kashmir through Mughal Road.

The 300 km highway projects designated as the National Highway 701A will pass through Poonch, Shopian, Pulwama, Budgam, and Baramulla districts. The four lane road will pass through eco-fragile tourist resorts of Yusmarg and Doodhpathri in Budgam district. The road passes through ridges of Pir Panjal range and forests. Environmentalists fear that the construction of the highway will be an environmental disaster. It is mandatory to conduct an Environment Impact Assessment of this project to save forests, orchards and agricultural fields.

Red flag has also been raised on the construction of Handwara–Bangus road. Earlier this year, NGT had castigated the authorities for illegal felling of trees and cutting of hills during the road construction.

Eye brows have also been raised on another project— the 77.5 km Anantnag-Bijbehara-Pahalgam railway line which is proposed to pass through orchards and paddy lands. The stretch is said to be one of most fertile lands in Kashmir.

We have to understand that due to urbanisation and haphazard development, we are fast losing agricultural fields and orchards. In the past over a decade, there has been massive loss of agricultural land, especially paddy fields. As per reports, approximately 33,309 hectares of agricultural fields have been converted for other uses since 2012.

Presently 129,000 hectares of land is available for paddy cultivation, down from 162,309 hectares a decade ago. The drastic reduction of farmland has decreased crop production and is threatening food security. This has led to an increase in reliance on external food sources.

Most development projects, especially road and railway projects are going on agricultural land. We must note that owing to unique topography, Jammu and Kashmir is prone to natural disasters. It has a history of earthquakes, floods, landslides and, off-late an erratic climate. Studies have shown that natural disasters are triggered by haphazard developmental activities which subsequently vandalise  natural resources.

Being environmentally conscious, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is right in saying there is a need for sustainable development in J&K.  Undoubtedly there is a need for development. We need roads and development but not at the cost of agriculture fields, orchards and forests. We can build roads but not compensate for the loss of even a tree which takes years to grow! Government must ensure minimum damage to environment while executing development projects.

This can only happen if Environment Impact Assessment is done before the execution.

Let’s spare our natural assets, which are imperative for our survival, from the race of development. Let’s work to save our forests and agricultural fields. Let’s preserve the natural beauty of our motherland. We have to decide if we need concrete jungles or lush forests?

The author is Executive Editor, Greater Kashmir