Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 22: Chairman, District Development Council (DDC) Budgam, Nazir Ahmad Khan, has reached out to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, requesting the formation of a high-level inquiry team to investigate the alleged encroachment of pastureland in the Doodh Ganga forest range of the district.
According to the details, Khan has penned a letter to LG Manoj Sinha on Thursday, outlining the concerns regarding the alleged land grab in the Chaskani Naad pastureland within the Doodh Ganga forest range.
The area in question, situated at an altitude of 4000 meters in the Pir Panjal Forest Division of Budgam, has become a point of contention for the local Gujjar community of Branwar, Jabbad, and Neegu villages.
The letter from the DDC Chairman has highlighted the grievances of the villagers, who claim that an influential family, holding positions in Government jobs, politics and business has taken control of approximately 10,000 kanals of grassland in Chaskani Naad.
Allegedly, they extort money from grazers, particularly some Bakerwal families from Rajouri and Poonch, allowing them to graze their animals. Khan asserted that the Chaskani Naad pastureland originally belonged to the villagers of Branwar, Jabbad, Neegu and adjoining villages.
He has emphasized that this land should have been rightfully allotted to them under the Forest Rights Act for grazing purposes during the summers.
The DDC Chairman has accused the influential family of misguiding the civil administration, forest department, police, and even the judiciary by presenting false statements.
To address these grievances and bring forth the truth, Khan has urged LG Manoj Sinha to constitute a high-level inquiry team comprising members from the Forest, Revenue, and Tribal Affairs Departments.
He has also proposed the organization of a Maha Gram Sabha, involving several villages, to address the issue of pastureland distribution among different pastoralist communities for grazing purposes.
Furthermore, Khan has proposed that the grassland in Chaskani Naad be allotted to Gujjars, Bakerwals, and Chopans under Community Forest Rights (CFR) for grazing purposes during the summers.
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