In Jammu and Kashmir, a proposed railway line connecting Bijbehara to the popular tourist destination of Pahalgam is encountering escalating resistance from local communities and political figures. The project, which aims to enhance connectivity in the region, is being criticized for its potential to displace vast tracts of agricultural and apple orchard lands, severely impacting the livelihoods of residents.
Political Leaders Join Forces with Residents
MP Mian Altaf from Anantnag-Poonch recently met with villagers in Wulherhama, whose properties lie along the proposed railway alignment. During the interaction, Altaf emphasized that the railway line would not yield benefits for any stakeholder, including the central government, the J&K administration, or the local populace. He urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and communicate these concerns to the central authorities.
Widespread Opposition Across South Kashmir
Since December 2025, when surveys for the rail alignment were conducted, several villages in south Kashmir have been actively opposing the initiative. National Conference MLA Bashir Ahmad Veeri from Bijbehara has labeled the project as ill-conceived and contrary to public interest. Similarly, NC MLA Altaf Ahmad Kaloo from Pahalgam has questioned the necessity of the railway line, highlighting that National Highway-501 has already been sanctioned and land demarcated for it.
Kaloo pointed out that with an existing road to Pahalgam and the parallel NH-501 project underway, acquiring additional land for a 40-kilometer zigzag railway line seems redundant and wasteful, especially in an area where land is scarce. He noted that significant portions of land have already been allocated for the highway, which is slated for construction soon.
Environmental and Socioeconomic Concerns Raised
On January 22, PDP functionary Iltija Mufti visited the affected areas and voiced strong objections to the railway project. She argued that establishing a railway line across hundreds of kanals of fertile agricultural and horticultural land, as well as residential homes, is not only ill-conceived but also environmentally unsustainable. Mufti appealed to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to completely scrap the plan.
She stressed the importance of consulting local communities before proposing such large-scale infrastructure projects. "If a railway line is taken through agricultural and horticultural land, it will leave people jobless and homeless in a large number of cases," Mufti warned, underscoring the potential for widespread displacement and economic hardship.
Background and Implications
Bijbehara, a historic town in the Anantnag district of south Kashmir located approximately 45 kilometers from Srinagar, serves as a key point in this controversy. The opposition highlights broader issues of land use, environmental impact, and community consent in development projects. As protests intensify, the future of the Bijbehara-Pahalgam railway line remains uncertain, with stakeholders calling for a reevaluation of priorities to balance infrastructure growth with the preservation of local livelihoods and ecosystems.
