Cutting through Rajwar: How a road to Bangus exposed glaring environmental violations in Kashmir

BANGUS IS A small, mesmerizing valley perched at an altitude of 3,000 metres near the Line of Control (LOC) in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Located roughly 120 kilometres from Srinagar, this highland pasture is encircled by thick forests of Deodar, Kail, and Fir trees that have stood for centuries. For generations, local pastoralists – Gujjars and Chopans – undertook seasonal migration to Bangus along with their sheep, goats, and cattle during summer months. 

After the onset of militancy in Kashmir post-1989, the area was closed for several years. By the mid-1990s, the pastoralist communities were allowed to return with their livestock. From 2010, civilians too were permitted access and Bangus gradually became a local offbeat tourist destination for people across Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora. By 2015, visitors were arriving from Srinagar and beyond, and in recent years, tourists from outside Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have also been visiting Bangus.

It is precisely this growing popularity that appears to have made Bangus a target for what critics describe as corruption dressed up as development.

The unnecessary road      

Bangus consists of two valleys. The main valley – locally called Boud Bangus (Big Bangus) – spans more than 300 square kilometres and is surrounded by Rajwar and Mawar forests to the east, Shamasbury and Dajlungun mountains to the west, Chowkibal and Karnah Pass to the north near the LOC, and the Kazinag mountain range (4,732 metres) to the south. Lokut Bangus (Small Bangus) lies on the north-eastern side of the main valley.

Three roads already connect Bangus to the neighbouring regions.

Route 1: Built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) several decades ago, the Handwara-Bangus road via Mawar was constructed primarily for the Army. This road has been in operation for almost 60 years now.

Route 2: A 19 kilometre-route through the Rajwar area, starting from Handwara town and passing through Zachaldara to Reshnari via Watterbala, the last inhabited village before the valley. On this route, the Government was required to construct only a 6-kilometre stretch through forest land. Watterbala had already been designated a tourist village in 2013, though the project largely remained on paper.

Route 3: A third road connects Bangus from Kupwara’s district headquarters and further links the valley to Baramulla via the Handwara bypass, Kulangam, Kupwara, and Chowkibal.

Despite these existing routes, a fourth road, 35 kilometres of which cut through the pristine Rajwar forest, was sanctioned and built. Critics allege the project was never about tourism; it was about money.