Srinagar, Oct 28 (HS): PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has expressed grief over what she described as reckless construction in Pahalgam, alleging that it is taking place under the patronage of those in power and pushing the town’s fragile ecology to the brink.

She was reacting to a media report, which claims that Pahalgam has turned into a “concrete jungle” despite a High Court ban on construction, and that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah avoided questions on the issue.

In a post on X, Mehbooba said it was heartbreaking to see Pahalgam, “a paradise on earth deeply loved and cherished by Mufti Sahib,” being ravaged by “reckless, almost vengeful construction under the patronage of those in power.” Mufti Sahib refers to her late father and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

“Nature’s priceless heritage is being sacrificed for quick profits, pushing its fragile ecology to the brink,” she wrote.

Warning of the consequences, she said: “God forbid Pahalgam suffers a catastrophe like those witnessed in Uttarakhand or Nepal, leaving this paradise in ruins. Who would visit it then?”

Mehbooba said the judiciary remains the last hope to intervene “before this looming disaster becomes an irreversible tragedy.” She did not name any individual or department in her post.

The J&K High Court has restricted fresh construction in Pahalgam while hearing public interest litigation on the issue, and the PDP has earlier criticised the government’s handling of alleged illegal construction in the area.

During the 2025 Assembly session, the government said the Pahalgam Development Authority had issued notices over 269 deviations from permissions granted by the Building Operation Control Authority.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat