Memo submitted to PM demanding Gairsain by scribes, poets and Uttarakhand andolankaries in New Delhi

As was the capital of India, Delhi the main centre for giving momentum to the pivotal issue of separate Uttarakhand state during the nineties finally making the protracted dream of five or more decades becoming a reality in the year 2000, similarly this time too the Delhites (Uttrakhandies) on the significant issue of Gairsain are trying their best to hold good number of corner meetings and protest demonstrations in various parts of Delhi involving the erstwhile Uttarakhand movement activists, youths, students, journalists, poets, cultural activists and various social organisations active in Delhi. In just one and a half month’s time two memorandums were handed over to the prime minister Narendra Modi demanding expeditious declaration of Gairsain as the capital of Uttarakhand considered to be the unanimous choice of entire Uttarakhand which literally symbolises the decentralised socio political, cultural, economic, health, educational, industrial, agricultural and basic civic development of the entire state which is not only equi distance from Garhwal and Kumaon regions but also feasible from the demographic angle which may in the near future ensure the reverse migration in the hills which has shockingly witnessed a huge exodus of around 32 lakh people from villages to cities, towns and metropolises during the last eighteen years after Uttarakhand achieved separate entity as a himalayan state.

Even the Ramashankar Kaushik commmittee formed to decide the fate of the state and its capital has outrightly favoured Gairsain as the fit case for its capital and has years’ ago recommended the same to the centre positively, but of no awail. Today the BJP is in power in the centre as well as in the state of Uttarakhand but it least seems to be interested to acceding to peoples’ demand, despite so much of protests, hunger strike programmes and Dharnas in Uttarakhand as well as in Delhi.

On 10th of March a good number of journalists, poets, youths, women and Uttarakhand movement activists raised slogans demanding Gairsain at Parliament street, New Delhi and presented a memorandum to the PM. Prior to this, last month an impressive demonstration was held outside press club of India, Delhi and then too a memorandum was handed over to the prime minister’s office to demand Gairsain as Uttarakhand’s permanent capital but of no awail.

Prominent amongst those who participated in this Dharna cum.demonstration were Sunil Negi, President, Uttarakhand Journalists Forum, Puran Chandra Kandpal, Literateur and writer of eminence, senior journalist Vyomesh Jugran, Avtar Singh Negi, Congress leader, Dhirendra Pratap, President of Akhil Bhartiya Uttarakhand Maha Sabha Vinod Nautiyal, Anam Dhasmana, LOSAITE Chandri Patwal, Ramesh Hitaishi, Dinesh Dhyani, Prithvi Singh Kedar Khandi, Jagmohan Singh Jyadaa, Prema Dhoni, Dev Singh Rawat, Anil Pant, Khudedhji, poet, Vinod Rawat, theatre activist Khushal Singh Rawat, Gambhir Singh Negi etc.