Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 15: Tribal Gujjar and Bakerwal community which is mainly associated with animal raring here today demanded that the grazing areas and pastoral lands in the State should not be converted for any other purpose.
In a programme organised by Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation on the topic ‘Grazing land and Tribes of J&K’, representatives of these tribal communities demanded that the Government should come up with a law to restrict conversion of grazing land, including change of its title and ownership in the State.
“Such conversions are adversely affecting livelihood and migratory culture of nomadic Gujjars and Bakerwals,” they said.
The programme was presided over by Gujjar Researcher, Dr. Javaid Rahi while a number of tribal elders, youth and scholars were also present.
Dr. Rahi in his address stated that livelihood of lakhs of nomads solely depends upon the grazing land since centuries so such lands should not be converted or put so some other use.
“After implementation of Roshni Act wherein the Government conferred ownership rights of land to its occupants, free Government lands were occupied by influential people and it should be probed,” the speakers in the function said.
Those who spoke on the occasion included Ishtaiq Misbah, Zulkarnain, Sajjad Chowdhary, Bashir Chowdhary and others.
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