SRINAGAR: A decision by the Jammu and Kashmir government to transfer nearly 40 hectares of forest land to a Hindu shrine trust has met with protests from separatists opposed to New Delhi’s rule in the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffer Beigh said the land was being transferred to Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board so it can build “temporary structures” for tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims who trek to a Himalayan cave every year.
The cave shrine of Amarnath sits at an altitude of 3,800m and is considered an abode of the God Shiva.
Separatist politicians say building accommodations for pilgrims at the base of the mountain will ruin the fragile ecology of the area and also “reinforce India’s occupation” of Kashmir.
“The transfer of land is aimed at ruining the ecology and changing the demography of the state by settling outsiders in the valley,” said hardline separatist Syed Ali Geelani.
“It is also to reinforce India’s occupation,” said Geelani, whose supporters marched on the streets of Srinagar yesterday to protest against the decision.
Until now authorities have been erecting tents for Hindu pilgrims.
But last year more than 400,000 pilgrims visited the cave, prompting demands for better facilities.
Moderate separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq accused the government of merely trying to cement its disputed presence in the state.
“I want to make it clear to New Delhi that we won’t allow anybody to occupy our land and we will fight it tooth and nail,” said Farooq.
The shrine board is headed by the state governor, who is India’s highest representative in Kashmir, which is in the grip of an 18-year-old insurgency that has left more than 43,000 people dead by official count. –  AFP