Budgam, May 29: Residents of central Kashmir’s Budgam district are protesting against the wildlife authorities for allegedly halting the upgradation of the bund road starting from KM 7th on the Soibugh-Parimpora road.
According to an order (No. 304) from the Assistant Executive Engineer, Budgam (R&B), referenced SDB/174 dated 03/05/2024, the wildlife authorities have stopped the work. Despite continuous communications with the wildlife department, no response has been received from them, locals said.
The affected villagers, including those from Daharmuna, Soibugh, Gotpora, Narbal, and nearby areas, expressed their frustration. They claim that the wildlife department has unjustly halted the project, arguing that the bund marks the boundary of the wildlife area.
One resident stated that the department has accused the villagers of encroachment without any documentary evidence, infringing on their ancestral property rights and hindering a significant developmental project.
Another local pointed out that the bund passes through Milkiat land, and although the wildlife department verbally promised compensation, this has led to disputes between the locals and the authorities.
The villagers allege that the wildlife department is attempting to seize the bund and adjacent land illegally, under the guise of encroachment.
A committee formed by the farmers contends that the wildlife department lacks documentation to support its claims about the bund and surrounding land. “Why the authorities are trying to convert their agricultural land into wetlands without proper demarcation,” they questioned.
They argue that the department’s actions, including installing gates to control water levels, could negatively impact their farming operations by causing water shortages or flooding.
The Hokesar Wetland area, which borders the disputed land, has shrunk from 18.75 sq km in 1969 to 13.00 sq km in 2008.
The wildlife department claims that around 2031 kanals have been encroached upon, but locals argue that the department has sold land along the highway and illegally occupied village land.
One villager questioned, “Why is the wildlife department grabbing our land without proper demarcation?” He said that if the land were properly demarcated, the villagers would comply.
Another local pointed out that villagers have built poultry farms near the bund with permission from 2013, questioning the wildlife department’s current claims.
Revenue documents indicate that 6000 kanals of land, including the bund, belong to the farmers. However, a wildlife official claimed that a 2018 demarcation survey, endorsed by 14 patwaris, was rejected by the revenue department.
Altaf Ahmad, the Wildlife Warden of Hokersar, acknowledged that the bund intersects the Hokersar wetland boundary and announced plans for a new survey to realign the bund for the Soibugh Parimpora Road upgrade.
“We will start communication with the Roads and Building Departments to resolve the issue,” Ahmad said.
