PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
The people the Varuna Valley pour out their anger on the ‘indifferent’ administration over collapsed telecommunications and no progress in approved motor road construction. Under the banner of a committee which spearheads their agitation, they submitted a memorandum to the Uttarkashi district magistrate, demanding immediate restoration of telecommunications and the start of the construction of the approved motor road from Uparkot to Sayanachatti. They staged a sit-in too, warning of a vigorous stir if the administration continues to sit on their long-unaddressed grievances.
Venting anger, the chairman of the committee, Bishan Singh Rana said that the Varuna Valley- located just 10 to 15 km from the district headquarters- still lacks communication facilities. “The lack of network in villages like Nismor, Khodkindya, Gadiyara, Sald, Gamdidgaon, Ladhungaon and Basunga is hindering basic activities like education, health, employment and tourism. The Prime Minister inaugurated three BSNL towers on September 27 last year, but they are yet to be operational. Consequently, the limited network previously available has also completely collapsed. Despite repeated demands, the administration and the departments concerned have failed to act, perpetuating the region’s backwardness and goading people to migrate,” he said.
The second major demand concerns the construction of the proposed motor road from Uparkot to Sayanachatti. This 40-km-long route was approved in 2013, with an initial approval of Rs 4.63 crore. While other formalities, including the transfer of forest land, have been completed, construction has yet to begin. The committee states that if forest and environmental concerns pose challenges, the route could be completed quickly by constructing a three-km tunnel and an eight-km road. This route will reduce the distance between Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines by approximately 80 km, the locals said, adding that it could be developed as a safe alternative to the national highway.
The villagers present at the protest site said that due to the lack of communication and road facilities, women and the elderly suffer the most. Ferrying pregnant women and sick people to the hospitals on time remains a major challenge for them, they said and added that they would no longer bear the apathy on the part of the administration and launch a full-blooded agitation to make it act on their long-continuing grievances.
