Mehbooba welcomes decision to keep Kashmir rail projects in abeyance

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has welcomed the Union Railway Ministry’s decision to keep three proposed railway projects in the Kashmir Valley in abeyance, calling it a “much-needed relief” for lakhs of agrarian families whose livelihoods were under threat.

In a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mufti said agriculture and horticulture remain the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, sustaining nearly two-thirds of the population, directly or indirectly.

“Cultivable land in the Valley forms only a small fraction of its total geographical area. Over the years, highways, bypasses and ring road projects have already consumed vast stretches of fertile land, leaving farmers with shrinking space to survive,” she said.

Mufti said while the temporary suspension of the railway projects had provided momentary respite, uncertainty over their future continued to distress farming families and put their long-term investments at risk.

“Like the rest of India, Kashmir lives in its villages, where most farmers are marginal landholders with no alternative source of income. With the projects merely kept in abeyance, a constant fear prevails that their hard-earned investments may be rendered futile,” she said.

She urged the Centre to scrap the projects in their present alignment and replan them in a manner that safeguards fertile land. “Such a step would not only remove prevailing anxiety but also protect the livelihoods of nearly one and a half million families,” Mufti said.

Clarifying that farmers are not opposed to railway connectivity, Mufti stressed the need for a dedicated fruit corridor through a reliable rail network, particularly in view of the frequent disruptions on the national highway.

“Development must be balanced with sustainability. It should prioritise the use of barren and uncultivable land rather than destroy scarce productive farmland. A fresh assessment and realignment of the railway projects along unproductive land is the need of the hour,” she said.

Mufti also requested the Centre to extend railway connectivity to the Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

“These resource-rich and strategically vital areas have long suffered due to unreliable surface connectivity, severely restricting their economic and developmental potential. Even after more than seven decades of Independence, their progress remains constrained by the absence of dependable rail links,” she said.

“No challenge should be too great when it comes to integrating such neglected regions with the national railway network,” she added.