New campaign to save Uttarakhand’s villages

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand's villages are dying, their residents leaving for other parts. Now Anil Joshi, well known environmentalist, is taking along people from various sections of society on a statewide campaign, travelling from village to village to prepare a charter based on the grievances and expectations of residents. The campaign, titled 'Gaon Bachao' (Save the villages) will cover more than 20 centrally-located rural settlements across all 13 districts.

The massive campaign will conclude in Dehradun on October 14. Joshi has much to say on the crisis that moved him to begin it.

"Villagers feel completely disillusioned. More than 3,600 villages have been completely abandoned, while 40% of our rural population has moved to cities for better education, health and employment facilities in the last 15 years. The state government did not make any efforts to get them back. In the statehood agitation, the villagers contributed equally. But it is they who have suffered either because of all the development limited to the cities or projects such the 556 hydel plants, or all the stone crusher units built without their consent."

Unlike another neighboring hill state, Himachal Pardesh, Uttarakhand either has no hospital in many villages or no doctors in these hospitals, points out Joshi. The schools are in pitiable condition.
"The public partnership model of the government has affected the villagers' interests. Migration has created political imbalance because of delimitation," Joshi counts the ill-effects of these changes.

He adds that his campaign is turning into the second biggest the state has seen after the statehood movement, with "sulking" villagers waking up to fight for their rights. "Political parties who remain aloof to our needs will be held accountable in the state assembly elections in 2017," he warns.

The women of the state, who participated equally with men in all the agitations will be taken along, according to Kamla Pant, representative of Uttarakhand Mahila Manch. Dwarika Semwal, another social activist from Uttarkashi alleged that the real objective behind the statehood agitation — development in the hills — had been utterly defeated. "The villagers feel completely cheated. So they have to wage another big movement for their rights."

Flash Points

The issues Joshi is discussing with villagers

-There has been negligible concrete plan based on forest, water, soil and air

-Some 70,000 hectares agriculture land has been lost

-In Uttarakhand, which has 9% development rate, around 32.89 lakh villagers live on a meagre Rs 17 a day

- Some 1,800 primary schools are on the verge of closure because of scant presence of students. As many as 2020 schools are at risk, with 824 in dilapidated state and 1,196 in need of repair in a state situated on seismic zones 4 and 5 -Political parties must explain their plan regarding decentralization as per 74th amendments

- No policy to reduce unemployment. Some eight lakh youth are registered as jobless

- 5,000 villages have no roads 

TOI