Shifting of Sheep Breeding Farm: Govt employees come to blows in Dachigam Park

KL News Network

Srinagar

Employees from two government departments come to blows, assaulted and abused one another on Saturday morning after Wildlife department work force forcibly tried to evict Sheep Husbandry employees from the world famed Dachigam National Park.

Eyewitnesses told news agency CNS that hundreds of employees from Wildlife Department along with JCB arrived at Sheep Breeding Farm located inside Dechigam National Park. The Wildlife employees tried to dismantle the sheep breeding structures that were resented by the employees from Sheep Husbandry employees, resulting in the clashes.

President All J&K Sheep and Wool Workers Association Gulzar Ahmed told CNS that taking law in their own hands, Wildlife Department employees not only tried to dismantle the Sheep Breeding Farm structures but also assaulted them. “They had come along with Forest Protection personnel to intimidate us. We are ready to shift this farm from here provided the government allocates us alternate land. At least 1200 sheep are pregnant this and their illegal action virtually put them into risk,” he said.

“Though in 2005 the state cabinet had approved shifting of this farm but it failed to provide us alternate land. This Sheep Breeding Farm was set up in 1961 while Dachigam attained the national park status in 1980’s. This will be sheer injustice towards us if this Farm will be relocated at this point of time when majority of the sheep are pregnant,” Gulzar Ahmed said.

Expressing anguish and resentment over what he termed as illegal action on part of Wildlife Department, Director Sheep Husbandry Dr Kranti Kumar Sharma said that they can’t evict us by using force. “There is a proper procedure for all the things. We are ready to shift this Farm provided Government allocates land for us,” he said.

A Wildlife official said that the presence of Sheep Breeding Farm has been posing a serious threat to the endangered Hangul and this Farm needs to get shifted anyway.

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