Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Oct 9: Demanding grant of rehabilitation rights in favour of 12 scheduled tribes of Jammu and Kashmir – Gujjars -the main tribal group today pleaded with the 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.
The Gujjar community members were speaking in a programme organised by Tribal Research & Cultural Foundation to discuss the issues of rehabilitation of nomadic groups. The event was presided over by noted Gujjar scholar Dr Javaid Rahi and attended by the dignitaries of tribal communities.
In his address Dr Javaid Rahi 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.
He 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.
Those who spoke include Ali Mohammad Chouhan, Raj Din Tedwa, Zaffar -ul-Habeeb , Ahsan Chowdhary, Wali Mohammad Dhakkar and others.
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