Why Kashmir’s farmers oppose the Anantnag–Pahalgam railway route

A group of farmers in the Anantnag district have appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir government to drop plans to build a railway line connecting the south Kashmir district headquarters with Pahalgam, which also serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra.

"Hundreds of acres of agricultural land will turn barren if a railway line is built from Anantnag to Pahalgam. This stretch has one of the most fertile lands in Kashmir which provides livelihoods to thousands of families," Ghulam Nabi, a local farmer, said.

He added that the government should abandon the project as it will lead not only to food shortage, but also loss of livelihoods.

"The proposed Anantnag–Bijbehara–Pahalgam railway line passes through orchards and paddy lands. The railway line will kill the agrarian economy at all the places it passes through," he added.

Local MLA and National Conference leader Bashir Ahmad Veeri on 1 December, Sunday, met the agitated farmers and promised to convey their fears to the concerned authorities.

"I do not understand the purpose of building this railway line. Do they want to dispossess the farmers? Or they want to further shatter our economy? We do not have an industrial area here, and there is no industry in Pahalgam either. We are not going to let go of this land. We will launch a struggle to protect it," Veeri said after meeting the farmers.

Commenting on the matter, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari claimed people "are unhappy" with the proposed railway line.

'People whose land falls in the proposed Anantnag–Bijbehara–Pahalgam rail route (77.5 km) have resorted to protests. Concerns have grown, particularly since the issuance of tender for the final location survey of the proposed railway line.

'Most of the affected farmers who stand to lose their land — mostly orchards and agricultural plots — are small landowners. Experts have also raised concerns about the environmental impact of the project, as it involves laying railway line through fertile farmland and forested areas,' Bukhari said in a post on X.

The former Jammu and Kashmir minister also said the concerned authorities should engage with all stakeholders before taking a decision on the project.

"There was never a public demand for a railway line to Pahalgam. The concerned authorities must engage with all the stakeholders before taking any step. No decision should be imposed on the people," Bukhari said.