Land prices skyrocket
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Chandimarh (Poonch), May 17
Even as the Mughal road project is yet to be completed, land prices along the road in Jammu region, have kyrocketed.

The Mughal road project is an alternative route to the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1A is often closed due to avalanches and landslides. Work on the project started in 2005 and since then the prices of land have shot up by 50 to 80 times in smaller towns lying like Behram Gala, Bufliaz and this tiny town along the road.

Residents said the rate per kanal of land had increased by 50 to 80 times in villages along the road, while in less inhabited villages like Poshana and Dograby, it had increased by 5 to 10 times.

The Mughal road takes off from Bufliaz in this border district road and has smaller towns like Chanidmarh and Behramgala besides, villages like Dogra, Poshana on this side in Jammu region. It ends at Shopian in the Kashmir province.

The construction on the 89-km-long road from Bufliaz to Shopian costing Rs 250 crore (present estimate) is going on since 2005 and is likely to be completed in April, 2009. Presently the 30-km road each from Bufliaz in Jammu province and Shopian in Kashmir province sides has been constructed and work is going near Pir Ki Gali area of Pir Panjal pass.

The road is being constructed from Bufliaz (28 km from the district headquarter) through Behramgala, Chandimarh, Dogra, Poshana, Pir Ki Gali and Hirpura to Shopian. The road being an alternative to the Srinagar-Jammu Highway will connect Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu with Kashmir.

Muhammad Din (42) a farmer owning 20 kanals along the road said, "The rate per kanal of the land here in 2004 was Rs 20,000, but presently I have got customers from Srinagar and Jammu who are ready to pay Rs 20 lakh per kanal."

"I won't sell the land at this time. Let the Mughal road open, the rates will register further increase. We thank Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah for conceiving such a great project besides, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed for restarting the work on it," he added.

He said the road project once completed would boost trade in this backward region and would elevate the economic status of the people here.