Kishore Upadhyay demands Rs 25 lakhs n a govt job to kin of those killed by wild animals
The martyrs of separate Uttarakhand movement who’d sacrificed their precious lives in 1994 n after during the relentless struggle in various parts of the hilly state n Mujaffarnagar, UP were paid heartfelt tributes by Uttarakhand movement activists n leaders of various political parties nationally including in the hilly state.
More than forty six movement activists who faced bullets while protesting against the then Uttar Pradesh government under the chief ministership of Mulayam Singh Yadav demanding separate state were martyred in Mujaffarnagar, Khatima, Massourie, Pauri, Dehradun n other parts of Uttarakhand.
While paying his richest tributes to the Uttarakhand movement activists, the former minister and president of Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee n leader of Uttarakhand forest rights movement ( Vanadhikar Andolan) Kishore Upadhyay said that there is an urgent need for commencing a new widespread state level movement to seek their fundamental traditional rights in order to pressurise the governments of the hilly state.
He catagorically stated that even the Britishers who ruled India for over two centuries had never suppressed the constitutional rights to survive of the local inhabitants while depending on jungles but after the independence from colonial rule, the successive governments have deprived the people of Uttarakhand, depending on jungles of their basic constitutional rights to survive.
Leading the Forest Rights movement for the rights of the hilly people on a massive scale, former Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay emphasised that today there is an urgent need for the unification of forces relentlessly struggling for forest rights in Uttarakhand n elsewhere.
Announcing the next phase of (Vanadhikar Andolan) forest movement in Uttarakhand, Kishore Upadhyay said that the best n heartfelt tributes to the martyrs of Uttarakhand movement would be, if we earnestly struggle to get these genuine n transparent demands fulfilled by pressuring the present government tooth n nail.
He declared that on 8th September, hundreds of forest rights movement activists will immerse the bills of water and electricity in the Ganges at Haridwar n prior to this immersion/ flowing of bills in Ganga , the activists will protest in front of the water n electricity offices by burning them in the open inviting the aithorities’ attention towards their burning demands.
He further declared that after Haridwar protests, the protest demonstrations will be held outside government offices at each n every district headquarters of Uttarakhand.
In case the government fails to fulfil these genuine demands, the next movement phase would be of total non cooperation. The date for the same would be announced later on said Kishore Upadhyay.
He added that on the suggestion of the fellow movement activists the name of the VANADHIKAR ANDOLAN HAS now BEEN CHANGED TO UTTARAKHAND VANADHIKAAR CONGRESS. The information regarding the organisational structure of this movement would be announced shortly said Kishore Upadhyay.
While paying his richest tributes to the Uttarakhand movement martyrs Kishore Upadhyay laid down the demands of the Uttarakhand Vanadhikar Congress ( Uttarakhand Forest Rights Congress). The demands are the following :
The inhabitants of Uttarakhand living in the villages should be given free electricity, drinking water and gas cylinder.
The local inhabitants should have full herbal rights to retrieve Jadee Booties, they should be rendered free medical treatment n education, free distribution of wood, stones n building material for contruction of minimum one house, monetary compensation of Rs 25 lakhs n job to next of the kin in the event of loss of property n human life by wild animals, immediate Chakbandi( landholding ) in Uttarakhand n sanction of Rs 5000 in view of the loss of crop in one Nali, (2169 square feet agricultural land).
