PAMPORE: The much-hyped National Saffron Mission, launched more than a decade ago to revive the world-famous saffron fields of Kashmir, now stands as a grim reminder of administrative apathy and failed implementation. A visit to the saffron-growing areas of Pampore reveals a telling picture, irrigation pipes distributed under the multi-crore scheme are lying unused, some even tied together and repurposed as field fencing.
The Government of India had launched the Rs 400-crore National Saffron Mission in 2010–11 to rejuvenate saffron cultivation in Kashmir’s Pampore belt. The mission promised modern irrigation facilities, high-yield corms, and financial incentives for growers, including Rs 25,000 per kanal and subsidized sprinkler systems. However, on the ground, growers say the project has collapsed under bureaucratic neglect.
“These pipes were meant to bring water to saffron fields, but they never served that purpose,” said Abdul Samad, a Saffron grower from Konibal, Pampore. “The tube wells were dug, but they never became functional. We eventually used the pipes as fencing material because leaving them to rot made no sense.”
Under the mission, 253 tube wells and over 3,700 sprinkler sets were to be installed across Pulwama and Budgam districts. Of these, 128 tube wells were sanctioned for Pulwama alone. But locals say only a fraction became operational, leaving the crop vulnerable to erratic weather and poor soil moisture.
“The irrigation network was the backbone of the entire project. Without water, saffron cannot survive. The failure of this component has rendered the entire mission useless,” said Farooq Ahmad, another grower from Wajbatan village of Pampore.
Growers told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the success of the mission hinged on a reliable irrigation system. The photo evidence from Pampore fields, showing pipes serving as makeshift fences, highlights the scale of wastage and mismanagement.
Officials had earlier claimed that bore wells and sprinkler sets were handed over to farmer groups for maintenance. However, the lack of technical oversight and community support has left much of the infrastructure defunct.
“This project was supposed to save our saffron heritage,” said Muhammad Shaban, a grower from Lethpora. “Instead, it has turned into a showpiece of failure.”
Despite repeated assurances, there has been no official audit or inquiry into how much of the Rs 400 crore was actually utilized on the ground. The fields of Pampore, where irrigation pipes now serve as fences, remain a stark symbol of promises unfulfilled and public money wasted. [KNT]
