PUCL Bulletin, Nov., 2000
UP PUCL
Study team tours the Uttaranchal region - attempt to draw contours of development policy in tune with the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments
Groundwork for a separate Uttaranchal State PUCL branch
A high-powered team of U P PUCL undertook tour of Kumaun and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand in the last week of September 2000. It may be recalled that a similar team had toured some other areas of the region in the month of June from 13th to 19th. It had covered Dehra Dun, Tehri, Srinagar, Karnaprayag, Gopashewar, Joshimath, and Jairisain. This team comprised the President of UP PUCL Ravi Kiran Jain, Organizing Secretary K K Rai, Treasurer Omkar Dutt, and sociologist from Govind Ballabh Pant, Sociology Instiute, Allahabd, Dr. K N Bhatt.
The present team that toured Kumaun comprised besides Ravi Kiran Jain and K N Bhatt, Sociologist D K Giri, Sociologist and Panchayat Raj specialist Dr. Mahipal, Rajindar Dhasmana of Uttarakhand Patrikan Parshid, Delhi and Vice President of UP PUCL Chittaranjan Singh. This team visited Nanital, Betalghatgarh, Almoda, Bageshwar, Berinag, Pithoragarh and Haldawani between September 26 and 30.
Everywhere the team held discussion with intellectual women activists journalist, social and political worker and the citizens in general. The basic aim of these small and large meetings everywhere was to discuss and exchange views on the future political, economic, social, and culture dimensions of the new state. It was also an attempt to find out the opinion of the common citizen about the shape of things to come.
The following points emerged as the representative ideas about the future and the policies of the new state.
1. There is a unanimous
opinion that the demand for a separate state and the consequent agitation was
an expression of opposition to centralization and for decentralized development.
It is therefore in the fitness of things that politically and economically the
new state should adopt equalitarian and decentralized models. If the new state
fails to implement the spirit of 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments in
creating the edifice of policies, it will fail the aspiration on the people
of the area. Policies that adopt the required direction will not only fulfill
local aspirations but will be a beacon light on the rest of the country. The
only way to ensure freedom from backwardness of the area is the idea of 'collective
right to development', which is the basic idea of these amendments.
2. Women are the spine of the body-economic of Uttarakhand. Their life structure
is this region is hard and difficult like a mountain. It is, therefore, going
to be difficult to develop the area unless their life is totally transformed.
It is, therefore, necessary that in the politics of the region, from the village
to the state 50% participation by women has to be assured.
3. The development priorities have to ensure that first every village has to
be provided drinking water, health facilities educational opportunities, and
electricity. Without these basic necessities development will remain a dream.
Forest here were traditionally regarded as the wealth of local society and were
managed by them. These have to be returned to the village Panchayat. The PUCL
team found unanimity on the opinion that forest are going to be the caure
Development activities in Uttarakhand. Joint forest management schemes are a
conspiratancy to eliminate whatever remain of the traditional rights of the
people on forest such polices therefore, should be withdrawn forthwith and forest
areas should be included in the responsibilities of Panchayat. The most development
and saved forest in the area even today one those that one under the jurisdiction
of Panchayat.
4. Those who run
the political structure and institutions of the state will have to keep in mind
the peculiarities of region and base the development potential in tire with
them. Hydro electric generation, electronic and information technology, industries
connected with pharmaceutical and medicinal plants, forest fruit farming, village
industries connected with local crafts, tourism and pilgrimage, film industry,
educational and research institutions in all these fields are some examples
of developmental efforts that can strengthen the demand of self sufficiency
of the region. Healthy competition in market economy depending on industries
that use local products will be the precondition of development.
5. There seemed unanimity on the point that decentralized and Tran sprint people's
institutions as an alternative to the politics of indirect representation. The
people of Uttarakhand therefore, seemed to be firmly that the new state should
involve from the Constitutions a scheme of self governance in which 60 percent
of the state budget should be taken out of the control of bureaucracy and transferred
to local self governing bodies.
6. Everywhere people
were found to be looking forward to begin a new politics for local development
which will be able to fulfill the expirations of the people and will be a guarantee
to a model decentralized structure. Equalitarian decentralization and development
have to be the nucleus of the politics of the state. The region needs a political
leadership which understands these nuances and are prepared to work for its
healthy developments. The traditional main stream political parties on the other
hand are termed to centralization and have always failed to work for the fulfillment
of regional aspirations. If an appropriate political group doesnot come up at
this juncture, the state will slip into the traditional rut. The activists and
the leader who organized the agitation for the state can come together and form
such a group. This is the only way to save the new state from entranced vested
interest in the country. An alternative development model and its basic concept
can be propagated and further strength only political platform that is committed
to these ideas. All such social economic political and culture activists group
get together.
A question was raised on the use of the terms 'Uttarakhand' and 'Uttaranchal".
It was clarified that the people of the region had all along fought for 'Uttarakhand'.
The name was changed by the Central government in utter disregard of the sentiments
of the people. However, this was not an issue at present.
The PUCL, an organisation known as Pahaar, and Social Science Institute, Delhi propose to jointly organize in the second week of December a two day workshop in Rorkee University to further discuss these ideas and the ways to concretize them. Representatives from Uttarakhand, leading sociologists of the country intellectuals, lawyers and Human Rights workers will be invited to this meet. It will be an attempt to revolve constructive policy indicators for the new State in the light of the observations of the PUCL team.