In Kashmir, the long-awaited Forest Rights Act is a boon for some – but pastoralists are anxious
Herders and shepherds, who do not have Scheduled Tribe status, fear that they will be blocked from grazing grounds and evicted from their summer shelters. 2 hours ago Abdul Rashid, a forest dweller and pastoralist from Budgam, is worried about his community s land and their livelihood. | Athar Parvaiz
Thousands of forest dwellers in Kashmir are hoping that the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which is finally being implemented in the region 12 years after it came into force elsewhere in India. will protect their rights over forest resources.
Jungle Outreach
Khalid Bashir Gura attended one such meeting between the experts and the residents in a forest to understand the issues and the remedies that the FRA suggests
People came in hoards to tell their story to the visiting forest committee from the Government of India. KL Image: Bilal Bahadur
On a balmy April afternoon at Mujpathri, a high-altitude village in Budgam, people gathered to discuss the Forest Rights Act (FRA) with officials from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs who were at the hamlet to assess the implementation of the FRA. They were on their last leg of the tour. The expert group had already assessed the situation prevailing in Kupwara, Anantnag and Khansahib, another belt of Budgam.