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Monday , July 13, 1998

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Udham Singh Nagar district may go to Uttaranchal
From A.S. Prashar
Tribune News Service
BAJPUR (Udham Singh Nagar district), July 12 — As the Constitutional process for the creation of a new Uttaranchal state gets under way, indications point towards the eventual transfer of Udham Singh Nagar district to the proposed hill state.

Farmers of village Kanakpur discussing the
future of Udhampur Singh Nagar in the
proposed new Uttaranchal state in
Kashipur on Sunday.—Tribune photo

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has passed resolutions on three different occasions during the past seven years for the creation of the hill state comprising Kumaon and Garhwal divisions of the state. Udham Singh Nagar district which lies in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh was part of Nainital district in Kumaon division till 1995 when the then state Chief Minister, Ms Mayawati, carved out the new district.
The Akali intervention on the issue, although effective and vocal , has therefore, been rather late. "Where were the Akalis for all these seven years?" asks Mr Ramesh Pokhrial "Nishank," UP Minister for Uttarakhand Development.
"There has always been a part of the hill region. History is a witness to this fact. The Akalis are now unnecessarily trying to complicate the issue," he complains.
Be that as it may, the fact remains that the Punjabi settlers in the Terai region entertain a number of genuine apprehensions and grievances. The hard work put in by them for over a generation in taming the wild jungles teeming with ferocious animals is not being appreciated in the manner it should. An air of suspense mixed with anxiety and apprehension has, therefore, gripped the Punjabi settlers of Udham Singh Nagar district who have come to perceive their fortunes as inextricably linked with the future of the district. Little wonder, they have been bending all their energies to stall the transfer of the district to the proposed hill state.
This is not the first time the Punjabi settlers have faced tough times. In the early fifties, they fought nature, cleared jungles and wild life and turned the area into fertile farms. Then came the land ceiling Act which allowed them to retain only 12.5 acre of land while permitting up to 45 acre in the neighbouring Bhawar region. This was followed by the difficult times created by the militancy in Punjab. The settlers here were at the receiving end both from the militants as well as the state administration. This was followed by an "invasion" of the area by the Dalits actively aided and abetted by the Mayawati government last year. They regard present development as the most serious of them all. Compulsions of local politics are such that none of the local politicians are raising their voice in favour of the retention of Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh.
All the four MLAs of the district, three belonging to the BJP and one belonging to the Congress, have come out in support of the transfer of the district to the proposed state.Three MLAs belong to the BJP which has gone all out for the creation of the new state while the fourth MLA is a hill man. The MP representing Nainital district in Parliament also favours the inclusion of the district in Uttaranchal state.
Little wonder, therefore, the Akalis alone have been left holding the baby. The SJP of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav too has now come out in support of the Akali demand, but since the Akali Dal is a coalition partner of the BJP at the Centre, its views are bound to be given due consideration by the Vajpayee government. The meetings of the Akali leaders with the Prime Minister and other Central leaders on the issue have been followed here with keen interest while the Punjabi settlers have pinned their hopes on an effective intervention by the Akali leaders, leaders from the hill region of UP have reacted with dismay, unease and annoyance.
It is agreed on all hands here that the Bill for the creation of the new state, if and when brought forward by the Vajpayee government, may have a smooth passage because of the support from the Congress party which was also committed to it. What may work, where other things have failed, is threat from the Akali Dal to withdraw support to the Vajpayee government on this issue. The Punjabi settlers here are hoping against hope that the Akalis will do just that as suggested by the SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. But is the Akali Dal supremo, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, ready for that? That is a million dollar question which only Mr Badal can answer.

SP backs SAD on Udham Singh Nagar
LUCKNOW, July 12 (PTI) — The Samajwadi Party today joined the Shiromani Akali Dal in its demand for excluding Udham Singh Nagar from the proposed Uttaranchal state.
“The Samajwadi Party (SP) is opposed to the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar district in the proposed Uttaranchal hill state and will oppose the same when a Bill to this effect is tabled in Parliament,” party President Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters here.
He said his government had in 1994 created Rudrapur as a new district, which was later named Udham Singh Nagar, for inclusion in Bareilly Division and not in Kumaon Division in the hills. “Udham Singh Nagar is in the plains and considering its socio-economic background and culture there is no logic in including it in the proposed hill state,” he said.Moreover, 90 per cent of the people in this district belonged to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar, he said.
When his attention was drawn to the Kaushik Committee, which was constituted by his government in 1994, and its subsequent report recommending that Udham Singh Nagar be included in the proposed hill state, Mr Yadav said: “The Kaushik Committee report is not the Gita or the Kuran which cannot be altered”.
As many as 280 of the 327 gram sabhas in the district were in favour of excluding it from Uttaranchal, he claimed.The SP chief welcomed the Shiromani Akali Dal’s decision to oppose Udham Singh Nagar’s inclusion in the hill state and said: “Their pressure tactics on the Vajpayee government will only support our views on the issue.”