Bindukhatta issue to be raised in cabinet after thousands march for revenue village status
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Lalkuan
The agitation for the age-old demand of granting revenue village status to Bindukhatta reached a decisive turn on the 44th day on Sunday. Despite consistent rain for two days, about 15,000 villagers rallied towards Lalkuan Tehsil where they sat in protest. The agitators reiterated their demand to the government to issue a notification declaring Bindukhatta a revenue village. Amid mounting public pressure, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami sent cabinet minister Ram Singh Kaida to the scene to negotiate with the protesters. Citing a phone conversation between the protesters and the CM, he said that Dhami had assured to bring the Bindukhatta issue to the cabinet and find a solution.
Kaida appealed to the protesters to trust the CM and seek a solution through dialogue. He stated that protests alone are not the solution to any problem. The government is taking the matter seriously and will attempt to find a solution through dialogue. The minister also telephoned the chief secretary Anand Bardhan in front of the villagers and directed him to take immediate action.
Earlier, the villagers of Bindukhatta gathered on Inter College Road, where a large public meeting was held. Addressing the gathering, Van Adhikar Sangathan chief Umesh Bhatt stated that the prescribed procedures for granting revenue village status had been completed. According to him, the then district magistrate had already sent the file to the government regarding granting revenue village status to the residents of Bindukhatta under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
He said that despite this, the government’s sending the file to the Nainital district magistrate for re-examination is raising questions among the villagers. He claimed that since the district-level committee has approved the file and sent it to the government, the basis for the re-examination or objection process should be clarified. He said that the Bindukhatta residents have been fighting for their rights and revenue village status for decades. The organisation has now taken the movement to a decisive stage. He clarified that the movement will continue in a peaceful manner.
In support of the movement, the markets of Car Road and Ghodanala remained closed. A large number of people from Ramnagar, Golapar and other areas also reached Lalkuan in support of the movement. Women, youth, veterans, student leaders and members of various social and political organisations participated in the rally and protest in the rain.
