Srinagar, Dec 01: Farmers and activists in Kashmir have raised serious concerns over government plans to construct satellite colonies along the Ring Road, fearing further loss of agricultural land. Already impacted by the Ring Road project, they warn that constructing satellite colonies could leave them without land to sustain their livelihoods.
Farmers say they have suffered significant losses due to ongoing road and highway projects. “My family of eight depends on farming. During the construction of the Ring Road, I lost half of my land. If colonies are built, we will have no land left for farming, and I fear for my son’s future,” said a farmer from Chadoora.
Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, a social activist who has extensively researched land acquisition in Jammu and Kashmir, told Rising Kashmir about the large-scale land loss. “The Srinagar Semi Ring Road Project alone took thousands of kanals of fertile, irrigated land. In Budgam district, over 5,000 kanals were acquired, but affected farmers were not paid fair compensation as per the Right to Fair Compensation Act, which became applicable only after Article 370 was revoked,” he said.
He added that in Wathoora, Chadoora, land was acquired for Rs 45 lakhs per kanal, while the market rate was over Rs 1 crore in 2021. “Farmers are still recovering from that shock, and now the J&K Housing Board plans to build satellite townships along the Ring Road? Where will people grow crops or apples? We are fast losing agricultural land, which will lead to a disastrous future for Kashmir. If this continues, we will be landless by 2035,” he warned.
“The Master Plan mandates 20% green spaces, but we currently have only 2%,” he said.
Farmers have taken their concerns to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, submitting a memorandum through the Raabta office. The memorandum highlighted the negative impact of further land acquisition on farming families and the region’s environment. It also criticized recent notifications from the Divisional Commissioner’s office and an order from the J&K Housing Board proposing satellite townships in Pampore, Chadoora, and Budgam.
“This plan will take away our remaining land, leaving us landless. Kashmir already has the smallest average landholding in India—less than four kanals per family,” the memorandum stated. Farmers and activists demand the government incentivize agriculture rather than destroy it through unchecked urbanization.
