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Haridwar, September 1
Resentment is brewing among residents of border areas of Haridwar district against the move to include 14 villages, currently in Uttar Pradesh, in Uttarakhand,Statehood activists and residents of border areas are opposing the move to include 14 villages -- Sirsika, Rampur, Kansa, Hedi, Sadharanpur, Fakreda, Pattimalmaur, Bandarjudda, Gudganjpur, Jatol, Chaudhahendi, Nizampur, Ransura and Rajpur - in Uttarkhand.
Resentment is brewing among residents of border areas of Haridwar district against the move to include 14 villages, currently in Uttar Pradesh, in Uttarakhand,Statehood activists and residents of border areas are opposing the move to include 14 villages -- Sirsika, Rampur, Kansa, Hedi, Sadharanpur, Fakreda, Pattimalmaur, Bandarjudda, Gudganjpur, Jatol, Chaudhahendi, Nizampur, Ransura and Rajpur - in Uttarkhand.
They have also formed a committee called Uttarakhand Sanyukta
Sangarsh Samiti to educate people on the issue. The villagers have written a
letter to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna in this regard and urged him to quash
the proposal at the initial stage itself.
Talking to The Tribune, central secretary of the Uttarakhand
Sanyukta Sangarsh Samiti JP Pandey said they would not allow the merger of
Uttar Pradesh villages with Uttarakhand. He said during 1999 and 2000, when the
process of the creation of the state was going on, these villages and a large
number of the people of Haridwar had opposed the inclusion of the district in
Uttarakhand.
“Now, as a lot of development has taken place in Haridwar, these
villagers want to avail of the facilities. They played no role in the movement
for the creation of Uttarakhand and instead a section of people living in plains
opposed the statehood movement,” Pandey said.
"Why we should extend our territory when hill regions of
Uttarakhand are still devoid of development and basic facilities even after 12
years of the creation of the state,” he? said.
Veteran statehood activist Meera Raturi said these 14 villages had
formed the Haridwar Bachao Samiti to ensure that they remained in Uttar Pradesh
but
they were now working for getting included in Uttarakhand.
they were now working for getting included in Uttarakhand.
“These villages should represent the Uttar Pradesh government for
development and basic facilities. If they are included in Uttarakhand, more
villages will raise the same demand,” said Raturi while addressing the samiti
activists.
Notably, Gokulanand Lohani, deputy secretary to Chief Minister
Vijay Bahuguna, has sought the details of the proposal and the Haridwar and
Saharanpur district magistrates are looking into the issue. The Uttar Pradesh
government is also considering the proposal.