Srinagar, Feb. 5 -- Centre's decision to halt the proposed railway projects in south Kashmir is a moment that highlights the primacy of people's voices over unchecked infrastructure ambitions. For nearly two years, surveys for new rail alignments had unsettled villages across Anantnag, Pulwama and Shopian, where residents feared the destruction of orchards, paddy fields and fragile ecosystems. The announcement that these projects will not proceed has brought immense relief to thousands of families who had pleaded that their land and livelihoods not be sacrificed in the name of progress.

The proposed Bijbehara-Pahalgam and Awantipora-Shopian lines, spanning over 40 km and 27.6 km respectively, were initially envisioned as extensions of th...