Thursday, 29 FEBRUARY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Congress leaders along with the members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and their followers held a protest march on Wednesday against the State government. The protest was led by the senior Congress leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat which was also joined by several other unions. The protest march proceeded from Dharampur towards the Vidhan Sabha building but due to barricades installed by the police on the way, the protestors staged a protest at the barricaded spot. Addressing the protestors, Rawat said that the government has declared several inhabitations like in Nainital’s Bindukhatta as encroachments on forest land in the past seven years. People built houses in such villages and have been living there for several generations but the government listed them as encroachment on papers. Such years-old villages represent the pride and tradition of Uttarakhand. Rawat said that people living in these settlements are demanding the status of revenue village. Settlements like Van Gujjar in Gaindikhatta are also demanding land rights. He said that several people have been deprived of their livelihood since the government listed such settlements as encroachment in the past few years. The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara also said that these settlements are the pride of the State and no government has the right to snatch them. He said that the villagers of Bindukhatta and other similar settlements have been demanding the status of revenue village and land rights. The Congress along with INDIA members decided to raise their concern before the government by protest march towards the Vidhan Sabha. They also sent a memorandum to chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding these issues.
