The locals of Nishat and adjoining areas have approached the court of law against the Forest Department for fencing the grazing land in Nishat which is being used by them to graze livestock.
The locals of Nishat, Brein, Ishbar and adjoining areas said that they are mulling to stage massive protests and have already moved to the court against the forest department for fencing forest land.
For years, these villagers have allowed their livestock to graze within the protected area, forming a crucial part of their traditional grazing practices. “This grazing land comprises thousands of kanals but the Urban Forest Department says they are fencing only a few hundred kilometers. We have apprehensions that the Forest Department will go for fencing all over the land and it will prove disastrous for our cattle,” said a local to the news agency Kashmir News Trust.
A Forest official on condition of anonymity said that the proposed fencing aims to prevent trespassing, but the villagers fear that it will impede their age-old practices and disrupt their livelihoods.
He said the Department is following the orders from the top. [KNT]
