JK News Today
Jammu, January 15
Facing eviction from lands, mainly in Jammu province , the nomadic Gujjar community today appealed to Jammuties to tolerate them and their animals till the government rehabilitate them properly through a piece of law, in the state.
They said, “we are in trouble and looking for help from all around purely on humanitarian grounds, to run our livelihood”. They made this appeal in a programme organised by Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation to discus issue of rehabilitation of nomads, held here today. The programme was presided over by noted Tribal researcher Dr. Javaid Rahi while a number of representative of Gujjar community participated.
Dr, Javaid Rahi in his address said nomads are not “against anyone” , nor they are the ‘land grabbers’ or the ‘demography changer’ as dubbed by anti tribal forces . They only struggle for their livelihood and work hard to cater the requirements of their animals , in order to pull up their daily affairs of life .
He said, those who are land grabbers they should be taken to task but poor nomads must not be targeted.
The other speakers said thar State Government to adapt models of other States of India to re-rehabilitate nomadic tribes, who live migratory life and move from place to place in the State with their animals. They stated that the other States of India have developed “Forest villages” for tribal and nomadic communities and rehabilitated the STs with the support of Union Tribal Affairs Ministry. He said that our State can also achieve the goal by extending National Conservation Act-1980 and Forest Right Act -2006 to Jammu and Kashmir.
They said the STs of J&K are expecting a positive outcome from the committee constituted by State Governor N N Vohra in March this year under the supervision of Chief Secretary B R Sharma to prepare a draft plan to re-locate and re-rehabilitate nomadic tribes.
They demanded long term legal provisions to rehabilitate nomads, nomadic and semi-nomadic Gujjars, Bakerwals, Gaddis, Sippis and Changpas population who are land-less, shelter-less and living below the poverty line in hilly and border areas of the Jammu and Kashmir.