Acquisition of 4,900 kanals of prime agriculture land in Newa Pulwama for shifting NIT, Srinagar an ill- conceived proposition: Hakeem

Srinagar : Chairman Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen has cautioned the government against disastrous impact of the proposal of the administration to acquire 4,900 kanals of prime agriculture land in Newa Pulwama for the purpose of shifting NIT, Srinagar . He has cautioned that the move would be a big disaster both for environmental sustainability and local livelihoods.
In a statement issued on Wednesday , Hakeem while criticising decision of the Government to acquire about 4900 kanals of prime fertile horticulture land near Newa in Pulwama district for shifting the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar , has cautioned that the move would be a total destruction of agriculture and rural livelihoods. He said the move will be a last nail in the coffin of Kashmir’s ecological balance .He said Srinagar’s present NIT complex is sufficient , adding that the Pulwama farmland should be spared for the sake of posterity. He said while development of infrastructure was important for prosperity but it should not be at the cost of livelihood of the people and ecology of the habitations. He said the fertile karewa lands, proposed for new NIT, is a hub of modern high-density horticulture activities , supporting livelihoods of hundreds of families and needs to be spared exclusively for the agriculture purposes . He said the proposed takeover of 4,900 kanals of land for new NIT would not only block agriculture activities but would displace hundreds of families and put them to a severe economic distress. PDF Chairman has urged the government to shelve the proposed move in the large interests of the people of Kashmir.
Seconding concerns of the environmentalists, Hakeem said that the proposed land in Newa area is not only agriculturally valuable but also plays a critical role in maintaining the local ecosystem. Hakeem has asked the government to reassess its priorities adding that cultivable land should in no way be brought under constructions including laying of railway tracks and concrete buildings. He said J&K is already struggling with high unemployment and marginalizing the agricultural sector would further aggravate the problem . He said J&K needs a model of development that would protect its agricultural resources and ecosystem without sacrificing livelihoods of its people.