Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, June 26: Nearly a year after a local court in Budgam ordered conduct of Maha Gram Sabha in Branwar to resolve grazing rights, the directive remains unimplemented.
A delegation from Branwar, Chadoora in district Budgam alleged that local Gujjar and other forest dwellers are being deprived of their legal rights granted under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), and that some influential families are being favoured.
The delegation, comprising grazers and locals, said that despite the court order pronounced in July last year by the Sub Judge, Chadoora, the district administration has failed to conduct the Maha Gram Sabha to grant grazing rights to claimants in Chaskaninaad and adjoining meadows in the Pir Panjal Forest Division.
“Several people have claimed grazing rights over this vast meadow, which spans over 1,000 hectares of pastureland, but the rights have yet to be granted,” they said.
The Sub Judge, Chadoora in the July 25, 2024 order, directed the holding of a Maha Gram Sabha, also called Deh Majlis or village assembly, to grant grazing rights to the local population as mandated under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA).
Locals of Branwar allege that even after almost one year, the order has not been enforced on the ground.
A group of locals from Branwar and Jabbad villages in Chadoora Budgam – including Abdul Rashid Gorsi, Ghulam Mohammad Thekrey, Shabir Jahara, Ali Mohammad Jahara, and others, who have been defendants in the case – said authorities are allegedly favouring a few influential families, who, they said, have leased this vast meadow to grazers from Rajouri and Poonch, “thereby depriving locals of their legitimate rights under the FRA.”
As per the court order, the defendant party led by Ghulam Qadir Thekrey and others were asked to utilize 12 other designated meadows until the Gram Sabha was held.
However, Thekrey said he and his villagers are unable to do so as dozens of chopans and bakerwals are already occupying those meadows. Moreover, those meadows account for only 30% of the total pastureland, whereas Chaskaninaad constitutes 70% of the total meadows in the Doodh Ganga forest range of the Pir Panjal forest division, he said.
“We cannot understand the logic behind allowing three or four families to use 1,000 acres (8,000 kanals) of the Chaskaninaad meadows, while sheep belonging to over 100 families are asked to move elsewhere.”
Shepherds in the lower reaches – like Ayud, Korag, Diskhal, Bodangan, and Zandkabar – he said, are not allowing them to graze in their meadows.
“How can we go there? Chaskaninaad is a huge valley, spread over more than 50,000 kanals including its hillocks, but we are being denied access,” said Ali Mohammad Jahara, a resident of Jabbad Branwar.
The aggrieved parties said that they recently met the Deputy Commissioner of Budgam, who directed the SDM Chadoora to conduct the Gram Sabha.
The SDM, in turn, instructed the BDO Surasyar to take action, but locals allege that progress remains painfully slow.
“Shepherds hired by people of Branwar, Neegu, and Jabbad have already brought nearly 2,000 sheep up to the Chaskaninaad meadow. Only a few Bakerwal families are present, and 99% of the pasture land is open. However, the police are asking us to move down, while the Revenue and Forest departments have no issues with us staying,” the locals said.
They added that on one hand, the Government claims to grant various rights to tribal communities, especially under the FRA designed to protect grazing rights, but the pressure they face from police is unjustified.
“We appeal to the DGP and IGP to intervene. We want the Gram Sabha to be held soon as per court orders. If we lose this fight, we will never return to Chaskaninaad, but if we win, we should not be harassed.”
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