Public representatives of villages and Councillor Chushul constituency said that the traditional grazing land of nomads has been turned into a ‘buffer zone’ during the India- China disengagement in eastern Ladakh. 

Nambardar of Phobrang village, Konchok Stobgais said, “We never expected that we will lose our traditional grazing land rather we kept on expecting that the Modi Govt. will develop and increase the pastureland for nomads so that they can rear pashmina goats and increase the supply of world-famous Pashmina wool. In the world, Ladakh is the only competitor to China for the production of quality pashmina wools, and with the loss of grazing land we might lose the opportunity to compete also”.

“Pashmina goats need to be reared within the 12 km radius daily for their nutrition fulfillment, stall feeding is not an option at all. Livestock is the only source of income a single family in the village breed almost 300-400 goats which require a big field for their grazing. The supplement provided by the government is not enough to sustain the livelihood. We had a hope to make Indian Pashmina flourish in the international market, which now seems to come to an end”, he added.

He said that the people of the region expected the govt. will develop and boost wildlife tourism because the areas like Changchenmo are the hotspots of rare wildlife species like Dong( wild yak), mountain sheep known as Argali, Chiru (Tibetan antelope), etc but the reality looks very different. 

“Earlier we were restricted by the army to take our livestock for grazing today even they are restricted to stay there. It’s an irony. Government agencies ask us to show land records or papers; we do not possess them and I want to clarify that there is no paper even in India or China also that’s why all the issue is arising. Not having the paper doesn’t mean that the land is not ours. The elders share memories and lived on the land for ages. The only evidence of the land is the people or nomads who have been residing there from generation to generation”.

He said that government should take the locals into confidence before any decision because, in the end, the locals suffer. 

People find the major development projects and funds to develop Pashmina useless because they say that if there is no pastureland and grazing ground to rear the Pashmina goat then what is the use of the project, schemes, and funds? 

Pashmina-producing goats are the most important source of income for the nomads living in the Changthang region. The world's finest and most expensive wool is not just important to the nomad’s livelihood but to revitalize the economy of Ladakh. Loss of grazing land has become a matter of concern to the people residing because they feel there will be difficulties to rear the goats and also the pain of losing ancestral land. 

In Phobrang there are 113 households comprising 615 people sustaining in a 600 sq km area. The village head demands alternate land of around 600 sq km if they are not giving them access to grazing land. They call the land barren but the barren land is very important for the livestock, he added.

Councillor, Chushul constituency, Konchok Stanzin stated that the area of the buffer zone has spread to such a great distance that the traditional grazing land of the nomads has been declared under buffer zone and because of this the winter and summer grazing area has shrunk drastically. 

He said that the nomads in the area are provided with huts so that they do not have to move during the grazing period but during this disengagement, they were even asked to move their huts from the area.
We made it very clear and took our stand not to move from there, he added.

Konchok said, “We have tried to take the issue to the higher authorities but got no response. We request the Govt. to look into the matter because the only livelihood of our people is livestock which is going to be severely affected if the grazing lands are continuously converted into a Buffer zone.”

Tsering Angchuk, Former Councillor Chushul constituency spoke about the villagers' role in helping the army deployed at the borders and the voluntary work they did during the time of emergency. 

He also gave certain instances of the land where the nomads are not allowed to go.
“We are not seeking permission to go across LAC we want access to rear our livestock freely on our land”, he added.

Talking about the lack of basic facilities, Sarpanch Sonam Angchuk requested MP Ladakh and the Govt. of India to provide telecommunication facilities. He said in this digital world, Changthang has been deprived of good communication facilities. 

The villagers demand the involvement of local people in the decision-making and good telecom facilities.