Villagers urge govt to reconsider railway line through agri land

Pulwama, Nov 20: Residents of several villages in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district have urged the higher authorities of Indian Railway to reconsider the proposed railway line connecting Kakapora to Shopian, citing significant concerns over the impact on their agricultural livelihoods.
Villagers from Babhara and Monghama expressed apprehensions that the project would lead to the destruction of their apple orchards, which serve as their primary source of income. The residents emphasised that most of them are marginal farmers, relying on small patches of orchard land for sustenance.
“We derive our living from these apple orchards,” said one of the villagers, “If this railway line goes through our land, it will leave us without a means to support our families.”
Residents of Babhara highlighted their historical grievances, recalling that the government had already acquired a substantial portion of their village land in 1957 for the CSIR project. They argued that further acquisition would leave their community devastated, as they have little else to depend on for their livelihood.
The villagers stressed the importance of preserving agricultural land and urged the Ministry of Railways to explore alternative routes for the proposed railway line that would minimize the adverse effects on local communities and their orchards.
“We have already suffered enough. We appeal to the higher authorities to take our concerns into account and spare us from further hardships,” said another villager.