THE OTHER SIDE
Paritosh Kimothi
It has become so repetitively monotonous that one wonders how it seems to work every time the elections approach nearer. Slander, conspiracy theories and fantastic claims add to the mix of allegations and counter-allegations routinely exchanged between politicians in the course of serving the public. Let us leave the big guns to tackle the scandals being raised targeting them as they are adept at handling such situations. One believes, it is Uttarakhand that matters more than the importance it is given in words which usually fail to turn into actions. And, as claims and promises by the BJP, Congress and newly revived or created regional fronts reach the public, it would not be amiss to recall an important promise on which some efforts were also made- land consolidation.
According to data, about 14 per cent of the State’s total area is cultivable. With step farming dominating the mountains, small, marginal and fragmented farms impact the benefit a farmer can actually gain from agriculture which in turn fuels migration- one of Uttarakhand’s major problems. The renewed focus on millets and its ground reality along with the alleged practice of securing raw material from other plain States to prepare traditional Pahadi Lon (seasoned salt) are only a few examples of how the system may have passively encouraged shortcuts and juggling with statistics instead of finding a solution to the problems which affect agriculture. This apart from the fact that an aggressive effort has been made and considerable funds have been used to shift the focus from agriculture to tourism even though agriculture in Uttarakhand also offers unique products like tourism.
Despite the government rightly focusing on maintaining the demography and original culture of the State, the sale of arable land to non-residents in Dehradun alone gives one an estimate of what may be happening across the State. Successive State governments made some efforts including the provision of incentives to villages voluntarily adopting land consolidation. However, visiting the State’s Board of Revenue website and clicking on the consolidation statement dating back more than a decade to March 2015 shows that 906 villages were taken up for land consolidation and the process was completed in 398 villages. To put this in context, there are about 16,000 villages in the State and the data provided by the government on public domain dates back to 2015. The government and experts agree that land consolidation could considerably improve agriculture and the condition of farmers in the State. Years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated efforts to double the income of farmers, one wonders why land consolidation efforts failed in a State where public movements were undertaken for it and the government too officially supported it. As sceptics opine, this might entail more effort and comparatively lesser funds than say ambitious developmental or tourism projects.
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and the recently formed Uttarakhand Swabhiman Morcha might appear to be focused on regional issues but critics opine that their line so far has been demanding benefits for people based mainly on their qualification of having a State domicile. Having been in contact with long serving members of the voluntary organisation considered to be the ideological foundation of the BJP, one can say that not all of them are satisfied with the manner in which things are turning out. It is rare for one associated with politics to be gullible enough to believe that all promises made by politicians will be executed but disenchantment has been building for some time now. These persons who remain sincere to the ideology will not shift camps but may neither support the party blindly anymore.
There are other important issues too but that will make this piece too lengthy. However, the citizen must understand that with the Vidhan Sabha elections approaching, the season has started for politicians to give it their all either to gain power or ensure their survival. Many important and sensational issues will come up in the coming days. Some of these may be genuine issues vital for the welfare of the State and its people while some may be the usual diversion tactics to ensure that the public ignore what really matters. The people of Uttarakhand are credited for being sensible but will they continue to be enticed by the promise of government jobs, freebies and other measures that actually may not really lead to results as great or ideal as projected by the politicians? The people need to become more aware now instead of bothering in the final months before the polls.
