Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took a strong stand against the amendment in the Jammu and Kashmir Specific Tree Preservation Act, 1969.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar AbdullahOn Monday, he strongly advocated against a bill brought by his own party’s MLA, which seeks to give land owners the right to cut walnut trees on their property.Omar said the passage of the bill will damage the country’s largest nut economy, of which Kashmir accounts for about 90 per cent, and will take away an important part of Jammu and Kashmir’s identity.The bill, introduced by National Conference MLA from Pahalgam Altaf Ahmed Wani, sought to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Specific Trees Preservation Act, 1969, to allow felling of walnut trees on private land.Under the 1969 law, no person is allowed to cut a walnut tree, whether on private or state land, without prior permission of the competent authority, and any violation of the law can attract a fine ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000.Defending his bill, Wani said that the law is creating a big problem for land owners because walnut trees occupy significant space, about three trees per kanal (0.05 hectare), and they do not give proper revenue to land owners.He said walnut was once a major source of income in Kashmir, but most of the trees have grown old and stopped yielding. Wani said that felling is largely done by the owners themselves, and over the years, many people have been injured and died due to falling from trees during felling. He advocated high density plantation in place of old trees.Wani said, “It is a strange law where I am not allowed to cut a tree standing on my own land. One has to knock on many doors to get permission, which has become a source of corruption.”However, Omar defended the restrictions, saying the law serves the broader objective of preserving walnut and poplar trees. He said that about 3.5 lakh metric tonnes of walnuts are produced annually in Jammu and Kashmir, which is about 90 percent of the total production of the country.The CM said walnut wood is integral to the handicraft industry, especially wood carving, and expressed concern that allowing felling of walnut trees could lead to concrete buildings being built in their place. “I am sure that once the walnut trees are cut down, the owners will build houses or other structures there,” Omar said. He said the government can consider changes only if walnuts are cultivated on the same land in place of the trees cut.Although the walnut industry faces competition from soft-shelled varieties from areas like California, Chile, Kashmiri walnuts are valued for their superior taste. Major export destinations of Kashmir walnut include UAE, Turkey, Iraq, Singapore, Algeria, Qatar, Bhutan, Kuwait, Seychelles and Nigeria.