JK News Today
Jammu, February 4: Stressing upon the Gujjar community MLAs to take up the issue of declining nomadic practices among their tribe in ongoing Assembly session -the participants of a programme organised here by Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation – today urged upon the government to come up with a law to strengthen the migratory traditions in Jammu and Kashmir.
The programme was presided over by noted Gujjar researcher Dr. Javaid Rahi while tribal community members participated and spoke on the occasion.
Dr. Javaid Rahi in his address stated “The tribal migration traditions will become a history of the past in next few decades and a law can protect this part of our tribal culture. In last few years it decline to a great extend” he said and added that thousands of Gujjars-Bakerwals relinquished the nomadic life style and turned into migratory labourers in Valley of Kashmir and Jammu areas.
The speakers said that the main reason behind the decline in Tribal movement is the closure of pastures near border areas, forests, other lands , killing of hundreds of nomadic Gujjars on upper reaches, during the turmoil, the speakers stated.
They said due to lack of “Disaster Management training for Tribals” in Northern states of India the community suffers a heavy loss of lives and livestock due to landslide, forest fire, snow and hail storm, man-animal conflict every year and due to these natural calamities the percentage of nomadic Gujjars are also going down, he added.
They said said Gujjars who lead a lonely and tough life in the high-altitude meadows of the Himalayas and the Pir-Panjal are gradually settling down permanently in plain area.
Since time immemorial the Gujjars take their sheep high into the mountains to graze in the lush meadows. It may take them as many as sixty days to reach these meadows. During the summer they move from one meadow to the other.
The Scheduled Tribe Gujjars constitute around 20% of total population of Jammu and Kashmir.
The speakers suggested that government should formulate a plan to protect their nomadic identity by providing them education, health and communication facilities during their migration at upper reaches.
They suggested that government should on priority formulate a disaster management policy for tribal and nomadic communities and the orders restricting the movement of Gujjars must be revoked immediately.
The survey said the besides Jammu and Kashmir state, the nomadic Gujjars of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pardesh are also facing identical problems.
The speakers included Ishtiaq Chowdahry, Ch.Shabir , Khadam Hussain, Mir Mohd Gujjar, Mohd Rizwan and others.
