Budgam’s Ground Reality

Illegal clay mining and unregulated brick kilns have turned Budgam's fertile lands into dust. As the bypolls approach, residents wonder if any political party will finally take notice.

- Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat

The Election Commission of India has announced bypolls for Budgam and Nagrota assembly seats. The voting will take place on November 11, and the results will be declared on November 14. The Budgam seat fell vacant when Chief Minister Omar Abdullah decided to keep Ganderbal. During last year’s elections, he had won both seats, defeating his opponents by wide margins.

Budgam lies at the doorstep of Srinagar, but feels far from it in every sense. Drive through Palar, Wahabpora, Garend, Paimus, Nasrul-Jahpora, or Sholipora, and it’s easy to forget that this is one of the closest districts to the summer capital. The roads are broken, the water is unsafe, and the electricity flickers through the night. The air carries a thick mix of dust and smoke, a constant reminder of what unplanned mining and industrial greed can do to a place once known for its fertile soil and calm fields.

I have travelled through these villages for years. The dust on Budgam’s roads rises like a permanent cloud. It settles on trees, roofs, windowpanes, and food in open shops. Villagers sweep, wash, and wipe every day, but the dust always returns.

What troubles me most is what lies beneath that dust: the slow destruction of Budgam’s land, air, and people.

Over the past two decades, Budgam’s famous Karewas, those ancient plateaus rich in clay and minerals, have been ripped open for sand and soil. Once covered with almond trees, maize, and wheat, these lands now resemble open wounds.