SRINAGAR: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has informed the National Green Tribunal that it has dropped its proposed project to construct a new battalion base in the eco-sensitive Zabarwan mountain range overlooking Srinagar, the Wire website reported.
The proposed site falls in the Zabarwan hills near Dachigam National Park, a protected area known for its fragile ecosystem and as the natural habitat of the critically endangered Kashmiri hangul. Concerns had been raised that the project would lead to environmental degradation and displacement of local residents in the Brein locality of the city.
A group of residents from Brein had approached the tribunal last year, challenging the proposal and seeking intervention to prevent ecological damage and displacement.
Appearing before the tribunal on February 16 on behalf of the CRPF Directorate General and the Commandant of the 79th Battalion, advocates Gigi C George and Gyan Chand Meena informed the court that they had received instructions that the project had been “dropped”. The instructions, the court was told, were conveyed by Vinod Sawant, in-charge (law) at the CRPF Inspector General of Police (Headquarters), the report said.
“In view of the subsequent development, nothing survives in this OA (original application), which is accordingly disposed of. Pending IA (interlocutory application) is also disposed of,” the NGT said in its order, effectively closing the case.
Advocate Saurabh Sharma, representing the petitioners, said that the tribunal had earlier issued notices to the J&K authorities on September 25, 2025 and to the CRPF authorities on February 16. He expressed satisfaction over the development, stating that the site would now remain untouched and retain its ecological character.
In earlier submissions, the CRPF had defended the proposal as a matter of “national security,” stating that the planned ‘Battalion Camping Site’ would serve a larger public interest by ensuring peace and operational efficiency in Kashmir. In an affidavit filed before the tribunal on December 18, 2025, the force had stated that the base was initially intended to accommodate four battalions that were functioning from dispersed rented accommodations, which it said posed logistical and operational challenges.
The land requirement, initially stated as 1,324 kanals, was later revised to 1,668 kanals to accommodate nine battalions and an office for the Deputy Inspector General. The land parcels included state land, shamilaat and mehfooz kahcharie titles. The CRPF had acknowledged that the proposed site was located in a designated greenbelt area but assured the tribunal that necessary approvals or relaxations would be sought on grounds of overriding security imperatives.
