by NEW DELHI: Uttarakhand‘s Van Gujjars claim they are remembered only at the time of polls and their rights are not protected by any political party.
The pastoral community has just about 60,000 members left according to an estimate. None of the van panchayats in Uttarakhand are registered under the Forest Rights Act, which would give the Van Gujjars the legal right to live in forests and use its resources. In the absence of such rights, they are shunted out of their ‘deras’ (settlements) every now and then. False resettlement certificates, which can enable authorities to displace families, are rampant, say NGOs.
The pastoral community has just about 60,000 members left according to an estimate. None of the van panchayats in Uttarakhand are registered under the Forest Rights Act, which would give the Van Gujjars the legal right to live in forests and use its resources. In the absence of such rights, they are shunted out of their ‘deras’ (settlements) every now and then. False resettlement certificates, which can enable authorities to displace families, are rampant, say NGOs.
