Mufti expresses concern over ecological impact of developmental projects in Kashmir

Srinagar, Dec 18 (PTI) People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday expressed concern over the ecological impact of some developmental projects in Kashmir, saying development should not come at the cost of environment and resources.

Mufti, a former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, raised an alarm over three projects — Rajouri-Baramulla highway, ring road from Galander to Ganderbal and the expansion of railway line.

“Our land, forests and our resources are in danger. Lakhs of kanals of our agricultural land and lakhs of trees in our forests are getting affected due to those projects,” the PDP president said at a press conference here.

She said the agricultural land in most of the districts in the Kashmir valley is getting affected in these projects.

“It creates a doubt that their (government’s) hearts have not been satisfied by the destruction of J-K that they have caused and so they are now after our lands,” she alleged.

The PDP chief said there are apprehensions that this unplanned development can cause disasters like what were witnessed in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Joshimath.

The PDP chief said she was not against development but development should not come at the cost of the environment, scenic beauty and agricultural land.

She also raised concern over establishing satellite townships in the valley, asking the government to reveal who are the beneficiaries of such flats.

“We request the chief minister (Omar Abdullah), we will not talk about Article 370 and other big issues even as they have 50 MLAs, but this is a housing and urban development department issue which is under him. There should be no impact on the environment.

“Thirty townships are being built for which 1.29 lakh kanal agricultural land is needed. We want to know from Omar, which people are being settled there. What is the impact of these on our land?” she added.

She appealed to the government to intervene in these projects “to stop the destruction they can cause to the environment”.