7 lakh apple trees at stake: Why Centre just halted key Kashmir railway projects after local pushback

Expressing gratitude to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the party MPs for this “necessary and critical intervention”, the National Conference said that halting the proposed railway track between Anantnag-Pahalgam and Anantnag-Shopian ensured the safety of people’s livelihoods and orchards. “This is a government that listens to people’s concerns and acts on it,” party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.

Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that the decision to put the Pahalgam and Shopian railway lines on hold brought a much-needed reprieve to Kashmir’s agrarian economy.

“These projects threatened to destroy scarce fertile land and push over a million rural families into uncertainty. Development that uproots farmers is not progress.” Mufti also stated that any future plan must be reviewed transparently, with farmers and local communities taken on board, to protect Kashmir’s economy and social fabric.

In response to a question in the Lok Sabha, the railways had stated in December 2023 that surveys had been sanctioned for three new lines – Sopore-Kupwara (33.7km), Awantipora-Shopian (27.6km) and Anantnag-Bijbehara-Pahalgam (77.5km).

These areas are major apple-producing regions of the Valley. Almost as soon as the railway lines were announced through the districts of Shopian and Anantnag, apple farmers began protesting the move. The farmers objected to the felling of trees, still reeling from last year’s disruptions after landslides had hampered transportation during the peak harvest season.

Locals had estimated that about 7 lakh apple trees may be felled in Shopian and Pulwama districts for these projects.

According to government estimates, the horticulture sector contributes significantly to the UT’s economy and provides employment to about 33 lakh people.

Independent MLA from Shopian, Shabir Kullay, said that the project had raised “serious and legitimate” concerns, as it was likely to cause substantial losses to the livelihoods of the local residents and landowners.

“From the very outset, these concerns were consistently and responsibly highlighted through appropriate institutional and administrative channels. Following sustained engagement and constructive coordination with Union Ministers and senior Cabinet Ministers, the potential social and economic impact—particularly on orchards and valuable horticultural land—was carefully examined, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the project,” he said.

Kullay also stated that the decision of both the central government and the UT government “reflects a sensitive and balanced approach to development”.