NGOs and villagers forming charter of demands for political parties’ manifestos

DEHRADUN: Many NGOs such as Nadi Bacho Andolan and people groups have formed a charter of demands with regard to development of hill villages and environment conservation, which they will send to all the political parties in the state to make them assimilate these demands in their manifestos. Their demands relate to forest, water, education, health, employment etc which the rural hill dwellers have long been asking for.
Founder president of Nadi Bacho Andolan Suresh Bhai said, “People waged a long battle to have their own state in order to curb migration, gain rights over water, forest and land and, development schemes suitable for fragile topography of various pockets of the state which never became part of the manifestos of political parties in the state.Their policies have been such that people were devoid of good education, health and employment opportunities in the hill region, which make most part of the state.”
He said, the way jungle, natural resources, homes, agriculture land etc have destroyed under various incidents of natural disaster in the state, the political efforts to minimise such calamities are also being made through private companies, not with the participation of local people. He gave example of recurrent disaster series which affected Uttarkashi in 2011, 12, 13 and 14 and each year the road map for rescue and rehabilitation was not made with the consent of the local people.
Bharat Devi, member of Raksha Sutra Andolan, put up the demands saying that the extreme geographical condition of hill pockets should be taken into account to declare people residing there of BPL category and hence be given due benefits. "Our other demands are that people should be made owners of their water resources in the hills where consent of Panchayat will be mandatory to permit its use outside the region. Van panchayat should be constituted in each village. In the process of road map building to use the green bonus, people contributing for environment should be included,” she said.
Kanhaiya Lal, former principal of Inter College of Matli, also reflected on their other demands saying that compensation on loss of agriculture by any wild animal should be paid to the victims. Equal land policy should be announced and chakbandi should be implemented without delay. where women should be given status of a farmer.
With regard to education and health, Bharat Devi, leader of self help group of Athali village, said that the education and health are social welfare issues and should not be entrusted in the hands of private entities. Education for children upto 18 years should be free. Sufficient arrangement for health amenities and medical practitioners should be made at village level across the state.