Housing Board seeks land details along Srinagar ring road
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Dec 6: To assess the feasibility of the proposed township project along the Ring Road in Budgam district, the J&K Housing Board has sought land details from the district’s Revenue authorities.
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The project proposes 30 townships from Galander in Pampore to Ganderbal on both sides of the Ring Road.
Each township is planned to cover an average area of 200 hectares, requiring a total of 6,000 hectares-equivalent to nearly 1,18,000 kanals, most of which is agricultural land.
Farmers in Budgam, whose land falls under the project, are particularly worried, stressing that they already faced land acquisition for the Semi Ring Road Project from Pampore to Narbal a few years ago and prior to that Udhampur-Baramulla Railway line.
In this regard, a letter has been sent to the Tehsildars of Budgam, Chadoora, BK Pora, Narbal and Chadoora, requesting details such as Khasra numbers, land titles land types, soil types, structures present and total areas.
“J&K Housing Board has been entrusted to develop an integrated township along the Ring Road in Srinagar, covering 500 meters on either side of the road in areas falling within Srinagar and Budgam districts,” read a communication issued by the Housing Board.
An order issued on November 27 by the Tehsildar Budgam also references this communication, directing the Patwaris of Nayabat Budgam, Soibugh, and Shoolipora to attend the Tehsil office regarding the matter.
The communication noted the need to furnish details of land within a 500-meter depth on each side of the Ring Road for the “feasibility” of the proposed township project.
Regarding the proposed townships, the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir issued a notification in 2022 prohibiting construction, land transactions, or contracts within 500 meters of the Ring Road’s boundary.
A moratorium was also placed on the sale and purchase of land within this area.
It is important to note that the Ring Road passes through six districts in Kashmir. These include Ranbirgarh-Pratapgarh village in Srinagar’s Shalteng tehsil; Rabitar, Gundi Roshan and Shalibugh villages in Ganderbal district’s Tulmulla tehsil.
In Pulwama district, the affected areas include several villages in Pampore, Kakapora and Pulwama tehsils. In Bandipora district, restrictions apply to Sarai Dangerpora village in Sonawari tehsil, while in Baramulla district, Mirgund village in Pattan Tehsil is impacted.
In Budgam district, nearly 17 villages across tehsils such as Budgam, Chadoora, B.K. Pora, and Narbal will be affected.
The proposed construction of the townships has already sparked concerns among locals, especially in Budgam.
Many affected farmers have raised the issue with the Chief Minister’s Political Advisor, who assured them that the matter would be brought to the Chief Minister’s attention and discussed.
Political parties have also begun criticizing the move, with the PDP demanding clarification on the project’s intent and necessity. The party leaders have highlighted alleged lack of planning.
However, the Divisional Commissioner’s notification described the scheme as a “win-win proposition,” where land owners would receive serviced land with enhanced value, while the development agency would control “haphazard fringe” development and promote “planned urban growth.”
Despite these assurances, land owners argued that much of the land involved is agricultural and that the project would significantly impact their livelihoods.
“We have already lost large parcels of agricultural land for the Srinagar Ring Road project. Now, with the J&K Housing Board taking away our remaining land, we will be left landless,” said a Budgam landowner.
RTI activist Dr. Raja Muzaffar also criticized the project, emphasizing that taking agricultural land for such purposes is unjust.
He questioned the percentage of green spaces required under the Srinagar Master Plan-which should be 20 percent but has been reduced to less than 5 percent.
“If agricultural land is taken away, how will farmers’ incomes increase? This is unacceptable, especially since the Kashmir valley already has the lowest agricultural landholding in India, averaging less than four kanals per household,” he said.
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