Mehbooba Mufti seeks dedicated rail fruit corridor to boost Kashmir horticulture exports
SRINAGAR, FEBRUARY 6: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday called for the creation of a dedicated railway fruit corridor to ensure smooth and reliable movement of horticulture produce from Kashmir to markets across the country, saying such a facility is vital for safeguarding the livelihoods of lakhs of farming families.
In a letter addressed to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the PDP chief sought a dedicated rail link exclusively meant for transporting fruit and other horticultural produce from the Valley to the rest of India. She said that while farmers are not opposed to improved railway connectivity, infrastructure development must be planned in a manner that strengthens agriculture rather than threatening it.
“Farmers are not against railway projects. On the contrary, a dedicated fruit corridor through a reliable rail network is urgently required, particularly in view of the frequent disruptions and unpredictability of the national highway,” Mufti wrote, adding that dependable rail connectivity would provide a major boost to Kashmir’s horticulture sector, which forms the backbone of the region’s rural economy.
She expressed gratitude to the Railway Ministry for keeping three proposed railway projects in the Kashmir Valley in abeyance, stating that the decision has brought much-needed relief to lakhs of agrarian families whose livelihoods were directly at risk.
At the same time, Mufti stressed that development must be balanced with sustainability. She urged the authorities to ensure that railway alignments prioritise barren and uncultivable land instead of cutting through productive orchards and fertile farmland.
“Development should not come at the cost of destroying scarce agricultural land. A fresh assessment and realignment of railway projects along unproductive land is the need of the hour,” she said.
The PDP chief pointed out that like the rest of India, Kashmir largely lives in its villages, where the majority of farmers are marginal landholders with no alternative source of income. She said this vulnerability is further compounded by widespread unemployment among educated youth, forcing entire families to depend solely on agriculture for survival.
Mufti also highlighted that in recent years, many farmers have shifted toward high-density and capital-intensive horticulture, investing heavily in modern techniques and plantation systems. With railway projects only kept in abeyance and not formally scrapped, she said, a constant fear continues to haunt farmers that their hard-earned investments may be wiped out.
“It would therefore be in the larger public interest to scrap these projects in their present alignment and reassess them in a manner that safeguards precious fertile land,” she wrote, adding that such a step would remove prevailing anxiety and protect the livelihoods of nearly one and a half million families associated with horticulture and allied sectors.
In addition to a dedicated fruit corridor, Mufti also sought new rail links connecting Jammu with the Chenab Valley and the Pir Panjal region. She described these areas as resource-rich and strategically vital, but said they have long suffered due to unreliable surface connectivity, which has severely restricted their economic and developmental potential.
She maintained that improved rail connectivity to these regions would open new avenues for trade, tourism and employment, while also helping integrate remote areas more effectively with the rest of the Union Territory and the country.
Reiterating her party’s support for development, Mufti said infrastructure projects must be people-centric and sensitive to local realities. She emphasised that protecting agriculture, ensuring sustainable growth and providing reliable connectivity should go hand in hand.
The PDP chief concluded by expressing hope that the Railway Ministry would give serious consideration to her suggestions and work toward a model of railway expansion that strengthens Kashmir’s economy without undermining its most valuable resource, its fertile land and farming community.
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