Gratitude poured from PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti as she wrote to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, applauding the interim suspension of three rail projects slicing through Kashmir Valley’s fertile belts. This decision spares countless farmers from devastation in a land where every inch of soil counts.
Mufti called for ditching current paths entirely, advocating routes over barren expanses to birth a fruit-specific rail corridor. Agriculture and horticulture, lifeblood for two-thirds of Kashmiris, cling to scant cultivable terrain, battered further by earlier highway encroachments.
Her letter underscored the plight: Village-bound smallholders, no Plan B in sight, embrace high-investment farming as jobless graduates lean on family fields. Temporary relief buys time, but persistent doubts jeopardize sustainability for 1.5 million souls.
Development must harmonize with preservation—using unproductive lands foremost. Farmers embrace rail links but prioritize a dependable network amid road chaos. Mufti sought fresh evaluations for low-yield areas.
She extended pleas for rail thrusts into Chenab and Pir Panjal regions, economically vibrant yet road-hamstrung for over 70 post-independence years. No obstacle should bar their national integration. Optimistic for immediate, people-centric resolutions, Mufti’s voice amplifies a critical call for thoughtful infrastructure.