Tracks Vs Tradition: Baramulla Up in Arms Over Proposed Railway
Baramulla, Mar 30: Resentment is brewing among the people of north Kashmir’s Baramulla town after the proposed railway line alignment was marked in Prof Showkat Ali Stadium, one of the oldest playgrounds in the town.
The historic Prof Showkat Ali Stadium in Khoja Bagh Baramulla always remains a one-stop destination for the administration, J&K Sports Council and other agencies including the security forces to organise the sports or cultural events of the district.
As per the revenue papers, the playground is the property of the Government Degree College Baramulla. The playfield which is a multipurpose stadium for the people of Baramulla, remains abuzz with sports activities from dawn to dusk.
However, the marking of alignment by the railway authorities has taken everybody by surprise. On Saturday, the Civil Society Baramulla and the Alumni Association of the GDC Baramulla convened a meeting to chalk out the strategy to oppose the move by the railway authorities to make way for the railway track from the ground.
In 2022, the Union Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah also addressed a large gathering of people from the same ground. Notably, the proposed Baramulla-Uri railway line would pass through key locations in Baramulla town, Sheeri, Gantmulla, Boniyar, Limber, and Lagama villages before it touches Uri town.
The Baramulla-Uri railway has been already approved by the Centre and would serve as an extension of the under-construction Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
As per the alignment, the proposed railway track would bisect the college playground in the middle.
On Saturday, the Civil Society Baramulla and the Alumni Association of the GDC Baramulla convened a meeting and expressed their apprehensions about the proposed railway track.
