By News Desk

Meer Irfan

It was the month of December last year. Hundreds of farmers gathered clutching placards and raising slogans against the government’s move to acquire large tracts of agricultural land for the construction of “satellite” townships.

Standing in the middle of his three-kanal saffron field was sixty-three-year-old Bashir Ahmad Dar from Chandhara. His family, like many in Pampore, has cultivated saffron for generations. Dar has already lost a portion of his land to the construction of the Semi Ring Road in 2022, and now, he fears the government will take whatever remains.

“This land fed us, our parents, and our children. Now they want to turn it into concrete colonies,” Dar said, his voice shaking. “This is not about ecology or aesthetics anymore; this is about our livelihood now.”

The farmers’ protest came in the backdrop of the Jammu Kashmir government’s announcement to build large-scale satellite townships across multiple districts.

According to official data from the Housing and Urban Development Department, the government has identified approximately 1,298.28 kanals (65.66 hectares) of land across Pulwama, Bandipora, Jammu, Kathua, Srinagar, Ganderbal, and Poonch for housing projects. In addition, the Srinagar Development Authority has identified 3,000 kanals of state land along the National Highway Bypass in Bemina for future housing development.

The government has justified the move, stating that the townships aim to “reduce urban congestion” and create vertical housing zones. However, the plan has been met with fierce resistance from farmers and activists, who see it as a systematic erosion of agricultural land.

The proposed housing colonies, according to official documents, include a mass housing colony in Padgampura, Pulwama, over 30 kanals (1.52 hectares) of land; a large housing colony in Watapora, Bandipora, spread over 200 kanals (10.11 hectares); and in Chatterhama, Srinagar, a major project covering 353.35 kanals (17.88 hectares). In Bakoora, Ganderbal, 214 kanal (10.82 hectares) have been identified for another township.

This story was originally published in thekashmiriyat.co.uk. Read the full story here.