Four new rail lines proposed for Valley, surveys underway: Govt

Srinagar, Feb 19: The Government on Thursday informed the legislative assembly that the Northern Railway is undertaking final location surveys for four new railway lines in Kashmir Valley, while assuring that landowners will be duly compensated as per law once the projects are sanctioned.
Replying to an Assembly question tabled by MLA Javid Hassan Baig regarding railway expansion, the Transport Department, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the proposed new lines include Baramulla–Uri, Sopore–Kupwara, Anantnag–Bijbehara–Pahalgam and Kakapora–Shopian.
The government said, the alignment of the proposed lines has been finalised in consultation with the concerned district administrations. “The land requirement for these projects has been assessed and, if sanctioned, compensation will be provided to landowners as per applicable laws for the acquisition of land, trees and structures.”
“On concerns about diversion of fertile agricultural land and rehabilitation of affected farmers, the government reiterated that compensation will be paid in accordance with legal provisions during the project execution stage,” the reply said.
Regarding environmental safeguards, the reply stated that once the projects are sanctioned by the Government of India, all mitigation measures will be taken as per environmental policy and the latest guidelines to address issues such as deforestation, soil erosion, water resource disruption and ecological imbalance.
The government further said, coordination with the Government of India and Indian Railways will be maintained during project execution to ensure necessary mitigation measures are implemented to minimise social and environmental impact.
It added that district administrations will remain involved during the execution stage to address local concerns and ensure adherence to prescribed norms for environmental and social safeguards. (KNO)