Forest Land Identified For Development After Reorganisation Of Jammu And Kashmir

After August 6, 2019, when the Government of India scrapped the semi-autonomous status of the former Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into two union territories, recent news and statements about the imminent land-use changes in the region have caused consternation among common people and environmental activists. They argue that it would result in “environmental degradation in the name of development.” As part of abolishing Jammu & Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status, the union government passed the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganization Act in the parliament, which came to effect on October 31, 2019, with the appointment of a new government in Jammu and Kashmir.

A review of official data reveals that the new regional government, in a massive land-hunt exercise, has so far identified 120,000 kanals (15,000 acres) of land from 203,020 acres of state-owned land in Kashmir region for industrial infrastructure development. Most of this land is ecologically sensitive because it is either part of or close to rivers, streams and other water bodies according to the officials.

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