Villagers, parents and local officials ask the Deputy Commissioner to halt construction beside two schools
Pulwama: Residents of Lassipora have petitioned the Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama to halt construction of a commercial cold storage facility proposed beside a government school, a private school and a belt of fruit orchards. They want every clearance granted to the project cancelled.
The petition, signed by orchard owners, parents and villagers, names Government School Lassipora and the private Mehboob ul Alam school as the facility’s immediate neighbours. It describes a heavy industrial, high-rise structure planned on low-lying agricultural land.
“This will ruin our orchard and destroy our livelihood,” said an orchardist from the village.
The petitioners say the building’s height could block sunlight for eight to 10 hours a day, affecting tree growth and fruit quality. They fear smaller fruit, poor colour and lower sugar content could make their produce difficult to sell, putting years of investment at risk.
Shade would also change conditions beneath the canopy. According to the petition, a cold, damp, humid microclimate invites scab, powdery mildew, root rot and pest infestations, and those diseases would spread from the affected plots to healthy orchards nearby.
Heat and water make up the next set of concerns in the petition.
Large condenser units would release heat that alters the local microclimate and disturbs pollination, the residents say. “Deep tube wells sunk for the facility would draw down the groundwater table and leave the orchards and the school’s drinking water facilities dry.”
Schoolchildren face a third set of effects. The petition lists the constant hum of condensers, the noise of backup generators and the loading and unloading of cargo as sources of relentless sound that would disrupt classes.
Heavy vehicles would raise dust clouds, the residents say, and that dust could trigger chronic respiratory problems such as asthma among students.
The petitioners also assert legal violations. They contend that a tall commercial building in a designated horizontal horticultural zone breaks rural development and zoning bylaws and takes from neighbouring farmers their natural right to sunlight, the foundational resource of their work.
They add that educational and environmental regulations prohibit hazardous heavy industry within a school’s immediate periphery, and that the project violates land-use rules, safety guidelines and the right of children to a safe learning environment.
Their requests to the Deputy Commissioner are specific. They want him to direct the State Pollution Control Board, the Education Department and the Horticulture Department to conduct a joint spot inspection. They also want any provisional permissions, No Objection Certificates or Change of Land Use clearances issued to the project formally canceled.
Handwritten signatures from residents and concerned parents fill the document, and it bears the stamps of the Sarpanch and the Chairman of the Alaqai Waqf Committee, Shah-hora, Pulwama.
The residents close by urge officials to place the lives and safety of schoolchildren and the preservation of agricultural land ahead of commercial interests.
The petition adds a final claim that sharpens the dispute.
The site’s owner converted the land into a high-density orchard a few years ago, it says, and received subsidies worth lakhs of rupees for that project.
