Ruing ‘isolation’, Pangi villagers to boycott poll

ibune News Service

Shimla, April 1

Fed up with false assurances of political parties, people of 16 panchayats of tribal Pangi valley of Chamba district have decided to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. They are angry over failure of successive governments to initiate any concrete action for construction of tunnel beneath Saach Pass for all-weather vehicular road.

“About 30,000 population of Pangi valley is forced to live life of prisoners as they cannot move out of the valley due to snow during winters. They have lost trust in false promises made by the government and left with no option to boycott the polls”, said convener of Pangi Sangharsh Samiti (Pangi Action Committee) Harish Sharma here today.

“The Pangi tribals had been demanding construction of tunnel for past five decades and had submitted memoranda to the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governor, Chief Minister and Chief Election Commissioner but the authorities are indifferent towards their problems. This time not a single EVM button would be pressed in the valley”, he told media persons here today.

He alleged that though there is democratic set up today, nothing has changed. “As far as health services are concerned, these are only for name sake and patients have to trudge 340 km under deep snow for seeking medical. As a result, the death rate was high in the valley” he said.

With the construction of the tunnel the distance from Manali – Leh would be reduced drastically and even the cost of transportation for defence ministry would be cut by crores of rupees, he said

Sharma said even the telecommunication services have not been expanded and improved and 60 per cent population is still without mobile phone service.