Civil administration in Jammu has started process to allow seasonal migration of the nomad Gujjar-Bakerwal community along with their livestock to upper reaches of Kishtwar, Kashmir and Kargil amid lockdown in J&K.
The process has been started on the instructions receivedfrom the Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyum to allow seasonal migration of tribalpeople to upper reaches, said Director Tribal Affairs, Saleem Khan.
He said some Deputy Commissioners have already issued ordersin this regard. “The migration was gotdelayed for only a week or ten days,” Khan said.
The seasonal migration of nomads with their livestock to theupper reaches in Kishtwar, Kashmir, Kargil, and other places from the plains ofJammu begins as the summer sets in.
As the summer season has started, nomads had startedapproaching the Deputy Commissioners in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Reasi, Udhampurand other districts seeking permission for travel along with their livestock.
“You are requested to issue permission only to those nomadicfamilies residing in your respective territorial jurisdictions and who want tomigrate seasonally on foot only after seeking satisfactory report from theconcerned DFO, SHO and Sarpanch.” Additional District Magistrate (ADC),Udhampur in his order to the respective revenue, police, and forest officials,said.
Similarly, Additional District Magistrate (Law and order),Jammu in his order said that with the onset of summer season, these nomads areapproaching various administrative heads for permission to move along withtheir livestock to the summer ‘dhokes.’
It has been ordered that the revenue, police, and forestdepartment will facilitate these nomads and ensure social distancing by themand other preventive measures of covid-19.
“They will also ensure that the family members of thesenomads maintain proper hygiene and wear masks while travelling along with theircattle herds and ‘motto’ issued by the forest department to be treated aspermission or permits for moving out of district to hilly areas of otherdistricts,” reads the order from ADC Jammu.
He further added that those who do not hold ‘motto’ will be provideda certificates/permission by the forest department in consultation with theconcerned Tehsildars of the area.
“You are directed toissue permission to those nomadic families in your respective territorialjurisdiction, who want to migrate seasonally on foot or though vehicles on thebases of the motto issued by the concerned DFO, no objection certificates fromthe concerned Station House Officer (SHO), Tehsildar and Sarpanch,” reads anorder issued by District Magistrate, Kathua, OP Bhagat.
Meanwhile, Dr Javed Rahi, tribal activist and founder ofTribal Research and Cultural Foundation said: “All the Deputy Commissionershave issued orders permitting tribal migration. However, the number of horses(with the tribal people) has reduced to 62,000, they were primary source oftranspiration. Hence, the administration should allow load carriers and trucksso that they can transport their household goods to the upper reaches.”
“We have requested tothe Deputy Commissioners to allow their transportation keeping in view the sizeof the family so that they can also shift six months ration with them,” Rahisaid.
“The seasonal migrations of nomads from across Punjab viaAtal Setu Bridge, Basholi onwards to Kishtwar was also allowed,” Rahi claimed.
These tribal people had gone to Punjab as seasonal wintermigration.