Ignoring warnings of environmental experts, the Modi regime has constructed a motorable road to the Hindu Amarnath Cave located in Islamabad district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir thus posing a serious threat to the territory’s already fragile environment.
According to Kashmir Media Service, India’s Bor-der Roads Organisation (BRO) completed the construction of the road to the Amarnath cave by the widening of the road from Dumail to the cave via Baltal base camp in Ganderbal district. After completing the project, the BRO reportedly drove its first set of vehicles to the cave at an altitude of 13000 feet in south Kashmir Himalayas.
The project, however, has received criticism by environmental experts who say that it will have adverse impact on the fragile ecology of the area.
The Modi regime has already impacted the fragile Himalaya environment by allowing lakhs of Hindus to visit the Amarnath Cave every year. In this regard, experts say the huge concentration of Hindu Yatris is the main reason behind the melting of glaciers in mountainous region, floods, and diseases.
Reacting to the development, Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called it the big-gest crime committed to the faith of Hindus. In this regard, PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan terming the road to the cave a crime against Hinduism and faith in nature said it is like inviting a catastrophe in Kashmir. It is an attempt to turn spiritual places into picnic spots for political gains, he added.
Even Kashmiri Pandits criticized the project. In this regard, Rahul Pandita, an author, expressed concern and termed the road to the cave a disastrous move, urging the authorities to abandon the project. In a post on X, he said, “This is a disastrous move. The cave is under tremendous pressure already…. do not do this”.
Tapesh Kaul, another Kashmiri Pandit, also ex-pressed concern and said this road construction is turning spiritual destinations into concrete jungle and tourist places. He further said, “It’s so disheartening to see that our main religion shrines are being slowly transformed into some sort of tourist destinations”.
It is worth mention that huge concentration of occupation troops in IIOJK has left devastating consequences on the territory’s environment, severely impacting its ecosystem as well as causing irreparable damage to its delicate and picturesque landscapes.—KMS
