SAHARANPUR , A PLOY TO SIDELINE GAIRSAIN ISSUE

While the demand for Gairsain to be declared as the new permanent capital is on the high peak with the myriad number of protest demonstrations in various parts of Uttarakhand still continuing the chief minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat has by raising and outrightly supporting the controvertial issue of Saharanpur to be annexed with the 18 year old state has further added a new dimension to this already disputed matter, being opposed by one and all.

After the delimitation of the MLA constituencies on the basis of the population there is already a lot of hue and cry n annoyance in the general public, particularly those hailing from the interior areas of Uttarakhand as the MLA constitiencies of the hill areas have already decreased considerably thus giving less representation to the hill areas in the state assembly. If by chance the issue of annexation of Saharanpur fructifies not only will the representation of the plains increase manifold in the state assembly but will also result in the diversion of the maximum hill developmental budget to the areas of the plains.

In the absense of the adequate decentralized socio, economic, industrial, agricultural, educational and health related development and job avenues in the interiors of the hill state there have been tremendous uncontrollable migration to the cities, towns and the metropolises and if Saharanpir also comes under the official jurisdiction of Uttarakhand one can imagine what will happen to the already squeezed development of the interior villages thus outrightly defeating the actual purpose and concept for which Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh after so much of sacrifices.

While the government of the day is still silent of the real and heart touching issues like Gairsain capital which would truly symbolise the decentralised over all development of the state, the new issue of possible annexation of Saharanpur to UK would undoubtedly further add to the already existing woes and miseries of the hill people. Some political analysts say that the issue of Shaharanpur is a calculated ploy of the current BJP government to sideline the hot issue of Gairsain capital thus diverting the peoples’ attention to the not so relevant issue of Saharanpur.

When the BJP government assumed power in the state with a resounding and historic majority it was felt that it will go by the overwhelmning mandate of the hill people who’d reposed complete faith on them but instead majority of the peoples’ demand like Gairsain and Pancheshwar Dam are being put in cold storage pre strategically and in order to divert their attention from the core issues such as above and jobs including improving of the health sector the party in power seems to be more interested in controvertial irrelevant issues like Saharanpur’s annexation to UK and raising funding for their party etc.

Today, the people of Uttarakhand are curiously looking forward towards employment generation in the state and improvement in the ovetall socio economic conditions of its youths, students, women, agricultural, health and educational sectors but the state reeling under the financial deficit of more than forty thousand crotes seems to be little interested in these core pro people issue than raising the controvertial anti people Saharanpur issue.

Sounds shocking and outrageous. There is lot of talks and assurances of improving of Yatra Marg to Kedarnath n other religious shrines and likely construction of all weather roads at the cost of the whopping central budget of 12500 crores but will this development not make our already fragile mountains more hollow and prone to ecological and natural disasters with 40 thousand full grown trees to be felled. Nobody is against development but people require eco friendly development not eco damaging development.

The tunnel being built till Kedarnath to ease the movement of pilgrims at the whopping cost of Rs. 1342 crores will not only make the hill hollow from inside but also make them prone to earthquakes and other disasters in the offing, says a senior journalist and analyst Umakant Lakhera in one of his FB post apart from incurring such a huge cost from the tax payers money. It would be in the interest of the whole state if the chief minister reaches to the people of the state to develop consensus and unanimity on the pivotal issue of bringing Saharanpur into Uttarakhand’s fold than to make unilateral statements inviting widespred criticisms.

If the people of the state go with his decision, its fine otherwise we should in all earnestness give up this irrelevant issue as Uttarakhand is already running under huge debt crisis and its people in jeopardy. The CM Trivendra Singh Rawat is a venerable personality and as such he should first take the inhabitants of UK into confidence before arriving at some definite conclusion on this significant issue. What’s your transparent take on this article. I leave it on your wisdom.
SUNIL NEGI