Wednesday, 21 July 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
Senior Congress leader and former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Kishore Upadhyaya and his supporters organised a Dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Tuesday.
The Dharna was organised to draw the attention of members of parliament (MPs) and union government on the need for stronger land laws and protecting the interests of natives of Uttarakhand. Upadhyaya said that like other Himalayan states a strong land law is needed in Uttarakhand to save the land of the state. He said that the Forest dwellers act of 2006 should be implemented in the state so that the rights of natives on their forests are restored. He said that 91 per cent of land of the state is dedicated to the nation and protecting humanity and the natives are living on only nine per cent of the land.
The Congress leader said that either this land should be given back to the natives of the state or they should be provided adequate compensation. He demanded that the natives should be declared as forest dwellers and free electricity, water and cooking gas should be given as compensation. Similarly, a job in government should be provided to one member of every family, he said. The agitators also demanded that their genuine demands should be accepted and a decision on them should be taken before the assembly elections.
