Almora villagers threaten stir over shortage of water, teachers

BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, December 15

Residents of over 12 villages of the Babalia valley in the Chaukhutia region of Almora district have threatened to start an indefinite agitation if their problems of drinking water, shortage of teachers in schools, and doctors in the local medical centre are not solved in 15 days.

“We have held a meeting of the Babalia Ghati Sangharsh Samiti and decided to block the road at Patharkhola from January 1 if the administration fails to give us a clear date for accepting our demands,” said Pan Singh Rawat, a leader of the samiti.

Rawat said they had submitted memorandums of demands to the district administration and visiting ministers several times but neither proposed roads to the villages had been constructed nor doctors had been posted in local hospitals to look after patients from remote villages. “We have decided that in the first stage of our agitation we will block the Syaldey-Deghat road on January 1, and if the district administration officers do not heed to our issues, we will gherao the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate on January 15. If still our problems are not addressed, we will start an indefinite fast at the SDM’s office,” said Hari Ram Arya, another leader of the samiti.

Tributes paid to Dalit leader Khushi Ram

Tributes were paid to Khushi Ram, Dalit leader and a freedom fighter from Kumoan region, on his 128th death anniversary in Pithoragarh on Monday.

Khushi Ram gave the name ‘shilpkar’ to the Dalit community of the region. He took part in the freedom movement and worked for spreading education in the Dalit community.

He struggled to give Dalit community in Kumaon region a social status.

“The Dalit community holds a good status today and it is due to the struggle of Khushi Ram,” said Jung Bahadur Tamta, president of the Shilpkar Jagriti Mahshabha in Pithoragarh district.

According to sources from Champawat district, programmes were held at Pati and Champawat blocks on the occasion. A ‘prabhat pheri’ was also taken out in the morning and a congregation of the Dalit intellectuals was organised.

“Khushi Ram was a pioneer in the social movement in the region. He took part in the freedom movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi,” said Bhola Singh Bora, zila panchayat member from the Pati area.

Tributes were paid to the Dalit leader in Almora, Ranikhet and Nainital districts, besides several places in Haldwani town.