"More than 39 per cent Gujjars who are migratory by tradition have relinquished their nomadic lifestyle during last 23 years turmoil in the state", TRCF National Secretary Dr Javaid Rahi said, while releasing its survey-cum-research.
TRCF is a National Organisation working on Gujjars of Indian states.
"There is a great apprehension that the tribal migration will become a history of the past in next few decades. In 2009 the decline ratio was 37 per cent", Rahi told reporters here.
According to survey, the main reason behind the decline in Tribal movement is the killing of hundreds of nomadic Gujjars on upper reaches, during the turmoil.
Another reason is the restrictions imposed by the security agencies and militants on tribal migration in border and strategic areas, causing shadow over the fate of centuries old tradition of seasonal migration, the survey said.
According to the study, after the closer of forests for nomadic communities in 1996, thousands of Gujjars relinquished the nomadic life style and turned into migratory labourers.
The survey revealed that in absence of "Disaster Management Polices for Tribals" of Northern states of India the community suffers a heavy loss of lives and livestock due to landslide, forest fire, snow and hail storm, man-animal conflict every year and due to these natural calamities the percentage of nomadic Gujjars are also going down, he added.
The survey further revealed that Gujjars who lead a lonely and tough life in the high-altitude meadows of the Himalayas and the Pir-Panjal are gradually settling down permanently in plain area.
The survey said the besides Jammu and Kashmir state, the nomadic Gujjars of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pardesh are also facing identical problems.
Since time immemorial the Gujjars take their sheep high into the mountains to graze in the lush meadows. It may take them as many as sixty days to reach these meadows. During the summer they move from one meadow to the other.
The Scheduled Tribe Gujjars constitute around 20% of total population of Jammu and Kashmir.
The survey suggested that government should formulate a plan to protect their nomadic identity by providing them education, health and communication facilities during their migration at upper reaches.
The survey further suggested that government should on priority formulate a disaster management policy for tribal and nomadic communities and the orders restricting the movement of Gujjars must be revoked immediately.
