PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
With the continuing public movement in Bhatwari on three-point demands, including the establishment of a Kendriya Vidyalaya, is steadily gaining strength, the indefinite sit-in at Ramlila Maidan has entered its sixth day on Tuesday. People from several villages who joined the sit-in demanded the government to immediately resolve this issue, which, they said, has been fuelling migration.
A retired teacher Keshav Nautiyal, who is leading the movement, said that he had launched a public awareness campaign in 2015, demanding a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Bhatwari. “During that time, numerous proposals and letters were sent to the Centre, state government and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, but even after years, the area has not received approval for a Kendriya Vidyalaya,” he lamented.
Speakers at the protest site stated that due to the lack of a better education system, a large number of families are migrating to Dehradun, Rishikesh, and other cities to educate their children. As a result, villages are becoming increasingly deserted, farmlands are becoming barren, and cattle are forced to roam the streets. They said that the establishment of Kendriya Vidyalayas will stop this migration for education from the rural areas.
The other two demands are speedy construction of the All Weather Road from Uttarkashi to Gangotri, and the regular deployment of officers and staff at block and tehsil headquarters.
“Early completion of the Uttarkashi-Gangotri All-Weather Road would boost the Chardham Yatra and winter tourism, increasing self-employment opportunities for local residents. Besides, we are concerned that many block and tehsil-level officials are not regularly available at headquarters and even minor tasks remain unaddressed,” one of the aggrieved villagers said.
The villagers clarified that this movement has nothing to do with politics but a collective fight for the region’s development, education, employment, and future. They warned that the indefinite strike would continue until the government took a firm decision on their three demands.
