Srinagar: Locals in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have expressed strong resentment over the Indian government’s exploitation of the territory’s resources under the guise of development, saying the railway line is primarily being used for military purposes while crippling the local economy.

According to Beyond the Time News report, local residents said that despite tall claims of improved connectivity and economic revival, the rail network has failed to facilitate the transportation of Kashmir’s major local products, including apples, handicrafts and other indigenous goods, to outside markets.

They said no substantial consignments of local produce have been moved via rail services so far.

The locals added that instead of serving civilian and commercial needs, the railway line is being extensively used to transport military equipment, including tanks, artillery guns and other logistics, thereby strengthening Indian army operational preparedness in the occupied territory.

They further said that the unchecked influx of cheap Indian products, particularly Adani cement, has severely threatened local industries, including cement manufacturing and apple cultivation, which are among the largest sources of employment in Kashmir. The situation has been compounded by restrictions on local mining activities and policies promoting genetically modified crops.

Kashmiris warned that these measures are systematically pushing the territory towards economic dependence on external supplies, suffocating local enterprise and destroying self-reliance. They said the ongoing policies reflect a deliberate attempt to marginalize Kashmiris economically and socially, reducing the territory to a state of perpetual dependency under military domination.