A report published in Greater Kashmir on 13 October 2026, titled “CM Omar Pushes Mountain Development Policy for J&K”, highlighted the Chief Minister’s address at the inaugural session of the 13th Sustained Mountain Development Summit at SKUAST-Kashmir. The emphasis on road construction and avoiding being “penny-wise and pound-foolish” provides an opportunity to examine mountain connectivity from a broader perspective. The maxim “development begins with a road” recognizes the importance of connectivity in providing access to markets, employment, education, healthcare and essential services. In mountainous regions, however, road construction presents a complex challenge. Unlike the plains, mountains are fragile ecological systems where slope cutting and poorly planned infrastructure can disturb drainage, accelerate erosion, destabilize slopes and increase landslide risks. Roads can generate economic opportunities, but may also facilitate resource extraction while imposing substantial environmental, social and maintenance costs on mountain communities.

Must every increase in transport demand necessarily be met by widening roads, cutting deeper into mountain slopes and introducing more motor vehicles into ecologically fragile areas?Rather than rejecting roads, we must reconsider their indiscriminate expansion and explore a diversified transport system that integrates modern infrastructure with traditional, locally adapted alternatives. The objective should be to identify the safest, most economical and environmentally appropriate means of connectivity for each location.

Reviving traditional pathwaysFootpaths, mule tracks and historic trails........

© Greater Kashmir