Uttarakhand/ Govind Singh
The Tribune, February 10, 2016
Uttarakhand has suffered at the hands of its own political leadership.
Neglect by successive governments and migration have caused enormous damage to
the fortunes of the state. The economic condition of the household forced the
working age group youths to leave their villages to earn a livelihood in other
states or in the plains of Uttarakhand. Besides, inequitable distribution of
resources, development dividends and income opportunities also forced hill
people to migrate to places with better opportunities and facilities. A large
number of people from Uttarakhand, especially from remote areas, are serving in
armed forces and an equally large number of ex-servicemen are living in the
state. These serving armed forces personnel as well as ex-servicemen are either
keen to shift or have shifted their homes to the plains in the state in the
absence of good basic facilities in the hill areas. It is an uphill task for
the state government to encourage and convince migrated people to return to
their hill villages.
‘Hitto Pahad’ is a populist slogan with political overtones that could
have a far-reaching impact. But the question is that why is it being used now?
Why the Uttarakhand government feels that it is now necessary that migrated
natives return to their hill villages. Does the state government have a policy
to invite and encourage natives to return to their hill villages or towns? A
genuine intent, a convincing policy and proper propagation of the “Hitto Pahad”
programme only can make it appealing and meaningful.
When every politician is shifting his base to the plains, when every
bureaucrat, teacher, government employee and ex-serviceman is buying a piece of
land in places such as Haldwani, Kotdwar, Ramnagar, Haridwar or Dehradun, why
this clamour for “Hitto Pahad? When no employee, teacher or bureaucrat wants to
serve in the hills and even those who were born and brought up there don’t want
to stay there, why this emotional appealing?
A mere slogan may not succeed in convincing the migrated Uttarakhandis
to return to their hill villages. The hill region has been systematically
neglected over the decades and the people here live a hard life amid
insufficient basic amenities. Their own leaders have deprived the people in the
hills of basic facilities of education and health and a good road network. The
discriminatory policies of successive governments have made their life
miserable and vulnerable. The land prices in the Terai and Bhabar areas have
been soaring due to continuous migration from the hills. With every passing
day, hill villages are becoming ghostly ghettos. Almora and Pauri Garhwal
districts are the worst affected by migration as people are still leaving their
villages in search of jobs and amenities.
Uttarakhand was created with the sole objective of giving the neglected
region a better deal in terms of overall economic development. When Uttarakhand
was carved out of Uttar Pradesh 15 years ago, its population was 85 lakh. It
was then estimated that about the same number of Uttarakhandis were living outside
the state. A large number of natives living in different parts of the country
were in one way or the other involved in the movement for the creation of
Uttarakhand. Most of them have their roots in the hill villages. They have
sweet memories of their traditional culture and language and are emotionally
attached to their villages. But they are disappointed when they visit their
native places and find no near and dear one or old neighbours there. Most of
the villagers have shifted to the nearby towns. Even armed forces personnel
don’t visit their native villages during their annual leave. Most of the
ex-servicemen have migrated to towns in the plains of the state. Only old
people and widows are seen in the hill villages, agricultural land is untilled
and barren, schools have fewer students and cattle are no longer reared with
interest. The village life is in a state of total neglect.
Uttarakhand is quite rich in natural resources such as ever flowing
rivers, beautiful lakes, snow-clad mountains, lush green forests with medicinal
herbs, tempting valleys and a serene climate. People living in the hills have
their own distinct culture. Unfortunately, the complaint of the gains of
development not reaching the hill region of the state still persists. People
had demanded a separate state with a view to making a better use of resources
for their development. They had thought that the policies for development would
no longer be framed in Lucknow or New Delhi, but in Uttarakhand, by their own
people. The villagers would be happier, prosperous and self-sufficient and the
state having immense natural resources would be economically vibrant. Their
culture and traditions would flourish in the new state under a government of
their choosing.
However, during the past 15 years, the successive state governments have
neglected the development agenda and today people living in the hills are
disappointed and alienated. The villages in the hill districts are being
deserted continuously. More than 2,000 villages are totally deserted and an
equal number is on the verge of extinction. The basic amenities such as health,
education and transportation are in a state of disarray.
The migration of people from the hills is not a new phenomenon in
Uttarakhand. People have been migrating in search of livelihood right from the
British Raj period. But the current round of migration is not only for
livelihood. The current large-scale migration could be checked only with the
holistic economic development of the state by making people stakeholders. ‘Hitto
Pahad’ could prove to be a well intended slogan if the government seriously
undertakes to address the concerns of the people and fulfil their aspirations. (Courtesy:
The Tribune)
