Budgam Grazers Allege Delay in FRA Implementation Despite Court Order

Srinagar — Nearly a year after a court in Chadoora, Budgam, directed authorities to conduct a maha gram sabha (village assembly) to decide grazing rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), local residents and forest dwellers from Branwar and adjoining villages allege that the administration has failed to implement the order.

The directive, issued on July 25, 2024, by the Sub Judge Chadoora (Senior Division Civil Judge), mandated the convening of a maha gram sabha for recognizing community grazing rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, which has been applicable to Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.

A delegation from Branwar and nearby villages, including Abdul Rashid Gorsi, Ghulam Mohammad Thekrey, Shabir Jahara, and Ali Mohammad Jahara, said that despite repeated appeals and the court order, the administration has not initiated the required public consultation process. “The court clearly directed the government to hold a gram sabha to decide on grazing rights in Chaskaninaad and adjoining meadows. But even after one year, nothing has moved,” said Jahara.

The disputed Chaskaninaad pastureland, sprawling over 1,000 hectares, falls under the Doodh Ganga forest range in the Pir Panjal Forest Division. Multiple forest-dwelling families from Branwar, Jabbad, and other villages have staked claim to grazing rights under the FRA, which allows traditional forest users to access and use forest resources sustainably.

As per the court’s interim order, the defendants — including Ghulam Qadir Thekrey and others — were advised to temporarily shift to 12 alternate meadows until the gram sabha decides the case. But villagers argue these meadows are already overcrowded. “The alternate areas make up only 30% of the total meadowland, while Chaskaninaad covers around 70%. How can 100 families adjust there when it’s already full of shepherds and Bakerwals?” asked Ali Mohammad Jahara.

He further alleged that the meadow has been informally leased out to influential non-local graziers from Rajouri and Poonch, depriving rightful forest dwellers of their share. “We have 2,000 sheep already on the move to Chaskaninaad. Only a few families are staying there currently, and most of the pasture remains open. Still, local police are asking us to come down, despite no objections from the Revenue or Forest Department,” he claimed.

In a recent development, the aggrieved grazers met Deputy Commissioner Budgam, who reportedly directed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Chadoora to initiate the gram sabha process. The SDM, in turn, instructed the BDO Surasyar to begin groundwork, but locals allege progress remains sluggish.

“There’s no logic in allowing three or four families to use 8,000 kanals of Chaskaninaad land while preventing 100 others. The government talks of tribal rights, yet we are being harassed. We urge the DGP and IGP to intervene and ensure the court’s orders are respected,” Jahara said, adding that they would abide by the outcome of the gram sabha, “but until then, our rights must be respected.”

While the villagers await implementation, concerns grow over the increasing tension between local shepherds, forest departments, and the police, highlighting a deeper challenge in implementing the FRA on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir. As of now, official confirmation on the status of the gram sabha process is still awaited.