'Bar on Gujjar, Bakerwals' entry into forests threatening

Claiming that restrictions on entry into forests and state-owned land posing a threat to their life, Gujjars and Bakerwals today appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir government to formulate a sustainable innovative programme to develop the community without affecting their nomadic lifestyle.
"We are concerned that the tribal groups may have to relinquish their migratory tradition in the next few years due to the closure of forests, restrictions on government lands and other factors," secretary of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation (TRCF) Javid Rahi said.
Rahi said the tribal migration, which is an inseparable part of Gujjar-Bakerwal culture, will become part of history as they these tribes are facing various restrictions.

He said thousands of Gujjars and Bakerwals have already relinquished their century-old nomadic lifestyle due to the restrictions imposed by the security agencies and militants on tribal migration in border and strategic areas.
"With the ban on entry into forests and government lands, these communities left meadows of the north-western Himalayas and settled in plains, and turned into unskilled migratory labourers or beggars," he said.
He said that in absence of disaster management polices for tribal, the pastoral communities especially Gujjars and Bakerwals suffer a heavy loss of lives and livestock due to landslide, forest fire, snow and hailstorm.

"Because of man-animal conflict every year and due to these natural calamities the percentage of nomadic Gujjars-Bakerwals population is also going down in the state," he said.

Rahi said the government should formulate a sustainable plan to protect the nomadic identity of these communities by providing them education, healthcare, food security, social equality, economic stability, justice, besides communications and other facilities without changing their way of life.
"The government should on priority formulate a disaster management policy for tribal and nomadic communities and the orders restricting their movement in forest, government lands, border and strategic areas must be revoked immediately."
Gujjars and Bakerwals are Scheduled Tribes in Jammu and Kashmir, and constitute around 20 per cent of the state's total population, Rahi said.