Van Gujjars, the forest-dwelling tribals, move with their livestock to the higher reaches of the Himalayas during summer and come down to the Shivalik in winter. However, this year, their movement has been curtailed by the forest bureaucracy on the ground that since they are coming from Shivalik forest range of Uttar Pradesh, they would not be allowed into their traditional grassland pastures. Due to this, many of these Van Gujjar families are stranded on the Assan Bridge near Vikasnagar.

The Van Gujjars are running from pillar to post for the past several days to move the state bureaucracy. “We met the state Forest Minister who directed us to the forest secretary. The secretary, in turn, asked us to meet another junior officer of his,” Feroz Ahmed Gujjar told The Indian Express.

The Van Gujjars allege that for the past several years, they are being harassed by the Uttarakhand forest department which does not recognise their traditional rights. After Uttarakhand was carved out, a part of Shivalik forest, (outside Rajaji national Park) in Saharanpur district, remained with Uttar Pradesh. Many of these Van Gujjars migrate from Uttar Pradesh to higher reaches in Uttarkashi district and even to Himachal Pradesh passing through Uttarakhand. But the forest department is bent on stopping those Van Gujjars who come to Uttarakhand from UP.

“Does the Indian law accept state boundaries as an excuse to curb rights of local communities? This is the last ditch strategy of the forest department to curtail the rights of the poor forest dependants, so that they cannot claim any right on the forest produce under the “Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (recognition of forest rights) Act, “ said Parveen Kaushal, head of SOPHIA, a voluntary group fighting for the rights of these tribals.

When contacted, Uttarakhand Chief Wildlife Warden Shrikant Chandola said that these tribals are coming from Uttar Pradesh and Gujjars in Uttarakhand have complained against them. “Last year, we allowed them to move but a decision on them is yet to be taken,” he said.

Interestingly, these Van Gujjars have not been offered any settlement plan by any state Government. In the Shivalik in Uttar Pradesh, these Van Gujjars pay a ‘lopping tax’ during winter and in the proposed Govind Pashu Vihar National Park of Uttarakhand, they pay ‘grazing tax’. After paying these taxes they are given permits — a legally admissible document since 1937. The 12 Van Gujjar families of the proposed Govind Pashu Vihar National Park, which were allocated permits in 1937, have multiplied to about 100 nuclear units. The number of permits, however, remain 12.