As the Forest department intensified its drive against the encroachment of forest land in J&K, the Gujjars and Bakerwals feel victimised despite the implementation of Forest Rights Act (FRA) in J&K post August 5, 2019 constitutional changes.
The nomads alleged that they have submitted their claims before the respective Gram Sabhas in rural areas and committees in urban areas of J&K.
While the claims on the forest land are yet to be decided, the department has gone ahead with the eviction drives and attracted political reactions for the alleged “selective approach”.
“On 18 May 2021 at Roop Nagar, the Forest department officials damaged a plinth and destroyed grass kullas from the land where our last three generations have been living,” said Haji Fayaz Ahmed, who lives at Roop Nagar, a peripheral area in Jammu district.
He said: “We have revenue documents which confirm their claim on the land under FRA as they have been living there for the last 70 year. We had also submitted the revenue documents in the office of SDM North (Jammu district) under FRA, but the Forest department officials did not listen when they removed our grass kullas.”
At least 20 Bakerwal families are living in Roop Nagar, he said.
The eviction drive has been intensified after a high-level meeting was recently held in which directions were passed to remove encroachment on the basis of the directives of the High Court, an official said.
Following suspension of DFO Jammu Forest Division, Alok Kumar Maurya, for dereliction of duties and for his failure to comply with the directions of the court to retrieve the encroached forest land, the official said, “The DFOs are working under stress.”
A senior official in the Forest department said: “We have been conducting anti-encroachment drives since last year. We consider claims under the Forest Rights Act until they are settled. In case their claims are not settled, they have to face eviction from the forest land.”
Founder of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, JavedRahi said, “Nominations of non-official members to sub-divisional, district, and state-level committees are awaited to take final decision on FRA claims.”
Regarding the eviction of Bakerwals though the claims are yet to be settled, Rahi said: “I have taken up the matter with Principal Chief Conservator of Forests- Jammu and Kashmir Mohit Gera in the backdrop of implementation of Forest Rights Act 2006 extended to Jammu and Kashmir through ‘Reorganization Act 2019.’”
Rahi said he had demanded restraining such evacuation drives till the claims of the tribal and other forest dwelling communities were decided as per the act. The Forest department is a nodal agency to implement the Forest Rights Act in J&K and is bound to protect the rights of tribal members on the forest,” Rahi said.
He said lakhs of tribal people were dependent on forest resources and such drives could push them towards poverty and starvation at large.