Raja Muzaffar Bhat
BUDGAM: The construction of the Srinagar Ring Road project has raised significant concerns among local farmers and environmentalists. The project involves earth filling on a vast area using clay excavated from Karewas, a unique geological formation in Kashmir.
The reckless excavation of the clay has ecologically impacted the Karewas and its use for the highway project is waterlogging the adjacent agricultural fields and orchards.
Already, a staggering 6000 kanals (approximately 750 acres) of land have been acquired for the project.
However, the remaining land near the highway sides is now facing severe consequences. During rainy seasons, the area experiences severe water logging, submerging orchards and agricultural fields. Conversely, during dry days, the construction activities generate immense dust, which settles on the crops and fruit trees, impacting their growth and yield.
The environmental impact of the project extends from Gallander Pampore to Narbal and further ahead to Ganderbal, affecting a significant portion of the region’s orchards and agricultural lands.
Concerns of Farmers & Orchardists
Orchardists and farmers from Chadoora in central Kashmir’s Budgam district have raised concerns about the long-term implications of this project on their livelihoods, which heavily depend on the productivity of their lands.
They accused the construction company working on the Srinagar Ring Road project of not adhering to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and Environmental Clearance norms, which, according to them, has caused massive water logging in many agricultural fields, including some apple orchards.
Details reveal that water logging has damaged crops like oats, mustard, and even impacted apple trees in Wathoora, Batpora, Gudsathoo, and many other villages in Chadoora, Budgam.
“My two-kanal apple orchard is submerged in water for the last three days as there is no drainage system in place. The contractor has not even visited the site to drain out the water, nor has any official from the NHAI, Horticulture department, or Revenue department come to assess the damages,” said Bashir Ahmad, an affected farmer from Wathoora, Budgam.
He added, “Our land was acquired for peanuts by NHAI, and now the remaining land is flooded. In the dry weather, there is dust which impacts our apple and plum trees, and when it rains, there is water logging.”
Bashir said that the area never witnessed such water logging before the construction of the highway.
The farmers have appealed to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chairman NHAI Santosh Kumar Yadav, Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, and Chairman DDC Budgam Nazir Ahmad Khan to intervene in the matter.
Ring Road Project Devouring Fertile Lands
The Jammu and Kashmir government has acquired over 600 acres of land for the 62-km Srinagar Ring Semi Road project. This alternate highway, inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in 2018, is being constructed on highly fertile farmlands across villages in Pulwama, Budgam, and Srinagar districts. Notably, Budgam alone lost 500 acres of its agricultural lands.
The government invoked the obsolete J&K Land Acquisition Act, 1934, which was repealed after J&K’s special status was revoked in 2019. This move circumvented the more farmer-friendly Right to Fair Compensation Act, 2013, denying affected farmers its benefits, despite a court verdict in the favour of the latter.
Furthermore, the government failed to provide compensation to many farmers within the stipulated two years, technically lapsing the acquisition notification issued in 2017. Concerns also arise regarding the compensation plan, which allegedly follows outdated 1995 rates, despite the project necessitating the axing of valuable apple, pear, and plum orchards.
Massive Felling of Trees
Some years ago, around 60 fully-grown apple trees were uprooted and axed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), assisted by officials from the District Administration Budgam near Sozeth Narbal along the Srinagar-Baramulla highway.
In Wathoora, around 100 plum and apple trees were uprooted by the government and NHAI for the Srinagar Ring Road on March 30, 2022, and no transplanting facility was given to farmers.
A case has already been filed in the local Court in Chadoora against NHAI and the then Naib Tehsildar of Chadoora.
In the Gudsathoo and Budoo Bagh areas of Budgam, hundreds of apple trees were axed last year in November 2021, and no transplanting provision was applied. In the Rambir Grah area of Srinagar, more than 400 apple trees were axed, and compensation was paid as per 26-year-old rates, i.e., Rs. 13 per kilo for apples.
Farmers Demand Action
“We demand that action be taken against the Contractor and compensation be paid to the aggrieved farmers. This is a clear violation of environmental laws as dust has impacted plants for the last 2 years, and now water logging is damaging our crops and apple trees,” said Nazir Ahmad, another aggrieved farmer.
In Chitroo Dangerpora, water logging has damaged the road to such an extent that it looks like a stream. The people are facing lots of problems. The orchards and agricultural land are also impacted in this village.
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