Padgampora, Shopian (J&K): For weeks, sleep has come in pieces for Mohammad Ramzan Chopan. The apple grower from Allowpora in south Kashmir’s Shopian district says his thoughts keep returning to a sheet of paper delivered to his doorstep by his village head on the directions of a revenue official.The notice ordered him, along with 33 other orchardists, to vacate the land they have cultivated for decades.“We got a share of 12 marlas from our family property. If this is taken from us, we will come on the road,” Chopan told The Wire.Like many orchardists in Allowpora and adjoining villages of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, Chopan fears that the land could be taken away by the government that may leave his family without any source of livelihood.“Our grandparents took care of this land and planted these trees,” said Chopan, 60, standing amid rows of apple trees. “Now, when the orchards have finally reached a stage where they can give us returns after years of hard work, the government wants it back. There is so much barren land available for projects. Why are they targeting these orchards?”The notices, dated June 10 and received by orchardists on June 12, direct cultivators to vacate the land within seven days. Farmers said that they have been warned that failure to comply could invite legal action, including a fine of Rs 25,000 and one year in prison.The administration maintains that the land belongs to the government, describing it as encroached Kahcharai or common grazing land. Officials said that the land has been identified for building public infrastructure and the notices were served to the alleged encroachers while denying allegations of forcible eviction.However, the prospect of losing their land and livelihood has triggered anxiety among the farmers and their families.Across Allowpora and neighbouring villages in Shopian, orchardists said that their families have been cultivating the land for more than five decades. Some do not even know exactly when their ancestors first began working in these fields.According to farmers, nearly 70 families are going to be affected by the move. They said that the notices make no mention of rehabilitation.“The notice mentions only 34 names, but after family divisions, these 50 kanals are now distributed among nearly 70 to 80 families,” Gulzar Ahmad Chopan, a resident of Allowpora told The Wire.Cattles graze in the field in Allowpura. Photo:According to official figures, Jammu and Kashmir’s unemployment rate stands at 6.7%, nearly double the national average of 3.5%.“There are only a handful of government employees in our villages,” said Imtiaz Ahmad Chopan, a resident of Allowpora. “The rest of us depend on these orchards. If the government takes over the land, we will kill ourselves and our families.”Mubeena, a widow from Allowpora in Shopian, said that she has been living in fear after eviction notices were served. Although her name does not figure in the list, she worries that her family’s land could also be taken away.“I have two daughters and a son. We are fully dependent on this orchard. If they take away these fields, how will we survive?” Mubeena asked. She said that the uncertainty has taken a toll on her health. “My blood pressure shot up after we heard about the notices. We don’t know what will happen to our children,” she told The Wire.As the horticulture season is underway, growers have already invested heavily in pesticides, fertilisers and maintenance. Many families say they spend lakhs of rupees over the years to keep their orchards productive. Losing the land now, they fear, would wipe out decades of work.“We don’t know what to do,” said Imtiaz Ahmad. “We have no other source of income. It feels as if the government wants to leave us to die of starvation. Educated youth in the area are unemployed and work in these fields for their livelihood. If the government snatches these farms, they will be pushed towards drugs and violence.”The notices served in Shopian come nearly a month after paddy farmers in Pulwama’s Padgampora received similar eviction orders under Section 133 of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Revenue Act, triggering anxiety among dozens of families who depend almost entirely on agriculture for their livelihoods.“We received an eviction notice for 2 kanals and 10 marlas of land, which is jointly owned by my brother and me. We have been cultivating and maintaining this patch of land for more than 40 years,” Sheikh Mohammad Hussain, a resident of Allowpora told The Wire.“We have planted nearly 70 apple trees on this land, which yielded around 800 boxes of apples,” he said, adding that they had met MLAs across party lines to ensure that their voices were heard.Several politicians have visited the villages and assured residents of support, according to locals. Earlier this month, videos circulating on social media showed politicians from different parties ploughing fields alongside farmers in Padgampora and adjoining areas, transplanting paddy in a symbolic show of solidarity with the affected farmers. “There is no mention of rehabilitation in the notice,” said Aaqib Ahmad, another orchardist from Allowpora. “Many leaders came to our village and told us they would protect our orchards,” he said.The unusual scenes saw politicians, party workers and villagers operating tractors and planting saplings together in fields that local residents say their families have farmed for generations.“These families have been cultivating this land for generations. Suddenly, they are being told that the land belongs to the government,” People’s Democratic Party legislator Waheed Parra had told reporters during the protest.He accused authorities of allowing fertile agricultural land to be diverted for construction and other non-agricultural purposes.According to orchardists, nearly 1,000 kanals of land were earlier taken over by the government for the industrial area and Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO) in Pulwama, leaving many households without rehabilitation or compensation.“In 2021, around 200 kanals of land were acquired for the expansion of the industrial area, but farmers were not given any relief. It seems the government is bent on destroying our livelihood in phases,” Sheikh said.Speaking to The Wire, Parra accused the administration of “acting like a land grabber”. “They want people to suffer. We stopped the eviction in Padgampora and we will ensure that the rights of these orchardists are protected. We will fight for their rights,” he said.Shopian MLA Shabir Ahmad Kullay also criticised the administration’s handling of the issue.“The government is not serious about protecting the rights of common people. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has remained tight-lipped on these eviction notices, which clearly shows how serious he is about the suffering of his people. The National Conference is unnecessarily putting the blame on the Lieutenant Governor,” Kullay told The Wire.“This land belongs to the people of Kashmir, and no one can take it away from those who have maintained it for decades. It was given in lieu of agricultural land acquired by the government long ago, and now they are claiming it is state land. That is unfair,” he said.In south Kashmir, where horticulture forms the backbone of the rural economy, many residents view the notices as a threat not only to individual livelihoods but also to a way of life built around farming and orcharding.The Wire tried to contact the Tehsildar, Keegam, to understand the administration’s next course of action as the eviction deadline approaches, but the officer was unavailable for comment.The Wire also sought a response from the Chief Minister’s Office after opposition MLAs accused the chief minister of remaining silent on the issue. The report will be updated if their response is received.As uncertainty grows, orchardists are demanding that the government withdraw the proposal and allow them to continue cultivating the land.For families in Shopian and Pulwama alike, the struggle is no longer only about ownership but also about inheritance, livelihood and the future of the land they have always called their own.Junaid Dar is a freelance reporter based in Kashmir.