Creation of a separate Uttarakhand state has been the dream of nearly 60 lakh people of the hill region for the last five decades. They were always close to it, but never there. But with the Government promising to table the Bill for the creation of a separate hill state in the next session of Parliament, it's become more or less a reality.For the BJP, the creation of Uttarakhand - or Uttaranchal as the BJP calls it is a political necessity. The party has to its account all the four Lok Sabha seats in the region and grabbed 19 of the total 20 Vidhan Sabha seats in the proposed Uttarakhand. It had assured separate statehood to the region in its last three election manifestoes. Besides, all major political outfits in Uttar Pradesh are unanimous about the formation of the new state and the United Front Government had also passed the U.P. Reorganisation Bill. The Bill was to be sent to the President for approval but the Left parties raised an objection and the issue of Uttarakhand was hanging fireagain.Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee categorically stated in Lucknow that the creation of the Uttarakhand state would be announced by his government soon and all formalities in this connection would be completed soon. ``There is a unanimous approach of all parties on the issue and the Bill for Uttarakhand had been sent to the Centre thrice by Uttar Pradesh Assembly and this time the issue is part of our National Agenda,'' said Vajpayee.But all are not happy with the decision of the Vajpayee government. Members of the Sikh community living in the Terai region have staged demonstrations against the inclusion of the Terai belt in the new state and have approached Surjit Singh Barnala to persuade the Vajpayee government. The Sikhs want to remain in Uttar Pradesh while proponents of Uttarakhand cannot afford to lose them because the Terai belt is known for its high quality rice and fetches foreign revenue. Besides, all major factories are also situated in the Terai belt. Minus Terai, the Uttarakhandeconomy will solely be dependent on tourism.The proposed Uttarkhand is a backward region with 70 per cent people living below the poverty line as against the national average of 46. Farming is the main profession which involves more than 75 per cent of the total population (as per 1991 census) of 60 lakhs. One or two members have gone out of 60 per cent of the families here to earn livelihood outside. This dismal economic situation has been the hallmark of Uttarakhand for the last five decades.The region is politically backward too compared to other hill states. In J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim, there is one Assembly segment for a population of 30,000 to 80,000 while in Uttarakhand each Assembly segment represents as many as three lakh people and each Lok Sabha seat 15 lakh people. Because of its low representation in the Vidhan Sabha and the Lok Sabha, the area could never develop a political identity of its own and remained backward.Perhaps this was why the demand for a separate statehood to theregion was put forward by Jawaharlal Nehru and Govind Ballabh Pant during the Congress convention at Srinagar (Garwhal) in 1938. The demand was again raised during a special convention at Haldwani by Badridutt Pandey in 1946. The then chief of the State Reorganisation Commission also favoured carving out of a separate state in 1955. But the issue assumed form of an agitation after the formation of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal in 1979. The agitation touched its peak in 1993 when proponents of Uttarakhand observed bandh for many days in succession.The political parties realised the electoral potential of the emotive demand of forming a separate state and the BJP Government during its first stint in 1991 had sent a proposal approved by both Houses to the Centre for approval. But it was moth-balled. The Mulayam Singh Yadav Government again sent a similar proposal in 1994 followed by Mayawati in 1996.``Separate statehood is the long pending demand of Uttarakhandis but the irony is that all political partieshave used it as an issue to be cashed at the elections. They never cared for local sentiments. The BJP is also not doing any favour because the party has gained much from the region on the political front,'' says Atul Sharma, a bank officer and a resident of Haldwani.But the residents believe that finally their moment has come. ``There may be initial troubles in running the new state. But the fact is that we, the 60 lakh residents, are eagerly awaiting the day when we will get an identity of our own in the form of the new state,'' says Neelam, a social activist who has actively participated in the pro-Uttarakhand movement.Highlights of the billThe Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 1998 which will be introduced in Parliament, suggests: The state will have 12 districts.Nine existing districts: Pithoragarh, Nainital, Almora, Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar.nThree new districts : Champavat (carved out from Pithoragarh), Bageshwar (from Almora) andRudra Prayag (from Chamoli). Administrative headquarters at Gersain, a town located between the Garhwal and Kumaon regions. The state will function from secretariats set up in Dehradun and Nainital till the capital is developed. A 60-member, unicameral, legislature. A common High Court for both UP and the new state with headquarters at Allahabad.
