PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Demanding that Gairsain be declared the permanent capital of Uttarakhand, an indefinite relay hunger strike will begin at Buddha Park in Haldwani from October 18 under the guidance of Sthayi Rajdhani Gairsain Samiti (SRGS) convenor and former IAS officer Vinod Prasad Raturi.
Raturi informed that the Samiti began its struggle for the demand in September 2025 from Jantar-Mantar in New Delhi. This was followed by a 106-day relay hunger strike in Dehradun and a foot march from Dehradun to Gairsain, demanding that the capital of the hills be established in the hills.
The protesters said their objective is not to oppose any political party or individual, but to push for the long-pending demand of declaring Gairsain as the permanent capital.
Raturi said that they believe that shifting the capital to Gairsain could bring the problems of the hill regions into sharper focus of governance, though they acknowledged that a change of capital alone will not resolve all issues without effective policies and development plans.
Extending support to the agitation, Pahadi Army Uttarakhand founder president Harish Rawat said that the demand for Gairsain as permanent capital is not confined to any one organisation or region but concerns the entire State. He said the relay hunger strike beginning on October 18 at Buddha Park will be a step forward in advancing the demand.
Statehood agitators associated with the movement appealed to the people of the state to unite on the issue of permanent capital, saying it is linked to the future of the State and reverse migration.
