The communities of Nego Branwar and Jabad in Budgam District face challenges under Forestry Law, with shepherd families being denied grazing rights for their livestock in forested areas. This denial affects over ten thousand sheep and thousands of cows and buffaloes, depriving them of essential pasture.

Recently, the District Administration of Budgam was instructed by the court to conduct a gram sabha within a month and grant grazing rights to these communities under the Forest Rights Act. However, despite the court order, the administration has not issued any notification for the gram sabha, leaving the shepherd families in limbo and unable to access their rightful grazing areas.

The affected communities urge the District Administration to promptly comply with the court's directive and facilitate the gram sabha to address this critical issue of grazing rights, ensuring the well-being of livestock and livelihoods dependent on pastoral activities.

This story is by Mushtaq Ahmad, a Community, Content Creator from Budgam, Kashmir. Learn more about Mushtaq and see other videos of his/hers here. www.videovolunteers.org and www.kashmirunheard.org

This story is filmed and edited by the community content creator. We bring you unfiltered stories from the deepest, most media-dark areas.

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