Rail line laying through Kashmir apple belt should not be reckless: CPIM

After the People Democratic Party (PDP), the CPIM on Thursday came out against the proposed laying of railway line through fruit orchards of south Kashmir.

CPIM leader MY Tarigami said that the move of the railways to conduct a survey through the apple belt should not be ‘reckless’.

“The survey conducted by the railways in the apple belt of Zainapora (Shopian) for railroad development has created panic among residents, who fear for their livelihoods. The survey should not be carried out recklessly as it could impact the livelihood of locals,” Tarigami said in a post on X.

He said that the concerns of apple cultivators in apple-rich villages of south Kashmir should be taken into consideration. “Efforts should be made to minimise any potential losses,” he said.

On Wednesday, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti urged the government to avoid chopping of fruit orchards and “haphazard” laying on railway line in Kashmir. She said that environmental experts should be consulted in such projects.

While sharing a purported video of a protest in Shopian village against alleged “takeover of an orchard for a railway project”, Mehbooba said that building railway lines through Kashmir without taking ecological impact into consideration was fraught with dire consequences.

“In this case, the proposed railway line will necessitate the felling of apple orchards at Shopian. Request lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha to involve a panel of environmental experts before taking such major decisions,” she had said.