Jammu, May 8 (IANS): In a significant development the Jammu and Kashmir Tribal Affairs Department on Sunday flagged off a fleet of 40 trucks for the transportation of livestock and families of migratory tribal population from various districts to the highland pastures, officials said on Sunday.

These trucks have been procured by the Tribal Affairs Department through the J&K Road Transport Corporation.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had earlier announced the provision of transport/freight services for the migratory tribal population during annual migration to highland pastures. There was persistent demand from the migratory tribal community that they face a lot of hardships during migration due to traffic jams and other hindrances and to make their journey smoother they should be provided some transportation mode.

It was observed that sometimes due to harsh weather conditions there was loss of livestock and other damages causing a lot of inconvenience to the affected families.

The transportation system put in place by the Tribal Affairs Department will reduce the travel time from 20-30 days on-foot to 1-2 days while it will also help in the smooth management of traffic.

These trucks have been deployed both on National Highway-44 and Mughal Road. More trucks are being inducted this year by the department to ensure coverage of 100 percent families, said the officials.

The Tribal Affairs Department is establishing transit accommodations at eight different locations for the convenience of migratory tribal population involving financial implication of around Rs 28 crore. Two transit accommodations are nearing completion.