By OUR STAFF REPORTER
New Delhi, 22 Dec: The natives of Uttarakhand gathered at Jantar Mantar here, today, under the banner of the Uttarakhand Ekta Manch and demanded the government declare the mountainous region of Uttarakhand as a tribal area as before and include it in the 5th Schedule of the Constitution.
Speakers asserted that due to various reasons like lack of employment in the difficult geographical conditions of the mountainous region of Uttarakhand, unprofitable farming based on rain, large-scale migration is taking place and thousands of villages have become ghost villages.
Nishant Rauthan of Uttarakhand Ekta Manch said that the 5th Schedule was applicable in the hills before 1972 – the Scheduled District Act 1874 was applicable in the hills, the non-regulation system was applicable, the hills were declared excluded areas in 1935. These three tribal laws were applicable in the hills of Garhwal and Kumaon. After independence, the Government of India gave tribal status to the natives of those areas in the country where these laws were applicable and implemented the 5th or 6th Schedule there. But instead of giving the 5th Schedule status to the mountainous region of Uttarakhand, these rights were taken away in 1972. He said that the natives of the mountainous region of Uttarakhand meet the standards set by the Government of India for giving tribal status to any community.
Ashwani Maindola, Dehradun coordinator of Uttarakhand Ekta Manch, said that the natives of the entire Himalayas, except Uttarakhand, have got the status of a tribe. Even 43% of Himachal Pradesh’s area comes under the 5th Schedule.
Historian & Professor Ajay Rawat said that Khasas lived here for centuries, which is confirmed by historical facts, government documents and the cultural environment here. Like the tribal communities of the entire Himalayas, the common people of Uttarakhand are also worshipers of nature. That is why even today 90% of the people of the mountainous region follow the traditions of the Khas tribe.
Mahavir Rana of Uttarakhand Ekta Manch said that, like other tribal areas of the world, the culture of the hilly region of Uttarakhand is that of nature-worshipping tribals. Whether it is the festivals and celebrations like Phooldei, Harela, Khatadua, Igas Bagwal, Halia Dussehra, Ramman, Hiljatra or Kathpatiya, Aipan art, belief in witchcraft, invocation of folk deities, ‘Jagar’ in the name of historical and mythological characters or forest-based farming and animal husbandry, etc., are still prevalent in the common people’s lives. Which reflects the tribal tradition of the mountain. Many such elements, which are deeply embedded in the public behaviour, make Paharis the natural claimants of the tribal category.
On this occasion, Uttarakhand Ekta Manch convener Anoop Bisht said that most of the Pahari people who left their ancestral homes, villages and everything else in search of employment and go to cities had the initial concept that they would definitely return to the mountains one day, but this happened very rarely. Most of such migrants are not able to return to their villages for years. Due to which thousands of villages in the mountains have become deserted. If the 5th Schedule is implemented in the mountains, then the Pahari people living in 5 cities across the country will return home with employment.
Retired Lieutenant General Gambhir Singh Negi said that the mountainous region of Uttarakhand is surrounded by two international borders. This inaccessible area becoming uninhabited can be very dangerous from the point of view of national security. It is necessary to pay attention to this important issue from the point of view of national security.
Pratap Nagar MLA Vikram Negi, who was present, said that he would raise this issue in the next session of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly through a private member bill.
On this occasion, thousands of Uttarakhandi natives passed a resolution to declare the mountainous region of Uttarakhand a tribal area and include it in the 5th Schedule of the Constitution. The speakers expressed hope that the public representatives of Uttarakhand will soon get this resolution passed in the Uttarakhand Assembly.
