Villagers to walk 165 km as mark of protest against unfulfilled promises
Pithoragarh: Residents of Namik village in Munsiyari subdivision of Pithoragarh district today announced that they would organise a 165-km march to district headquarters on June 20 to raise the problems they had been facing for long.
Villagers said they were disappointed over the unfulfilled promises of road and communication facilities that were made by local MLA and Chief Minister Harish Rawat during the latter’s visit in 2015.
Namik has been declared the remotest village of the district. It is 27 km away from the main road at Dwaligar near Munsiyari town and 165 km from district headquarters. It doesn’t have modern communication technology so villagers face a harrowing time amid natural calamities. Lack of communication technology makes it difficult for them to apprise the district administration or others of the situation they face.
“We have to trek through a distance of 27 km to reach a road to have an access to the transport system for covering a further distance of 17 km to reach the nearest health centre in Nachni,” said Mahendra Singh, president of the Sangharsh Samiti that was formed to take the issues of the villagers to the district administration.
He says pregnant women in large numbers have died in the past while being taken to the health centre in Nachni. Health workers don’t want to come here due to lack of transportation facility. “We have now decided to expose the government before the world that in the modern era of communication and transportation, we are leading a life of 17th century,” said Singh.
Villagers say they fail to market their produce of phaphar, madua, potato and rajma due to lack of road network. “Even for old age pension, elderly persons have to travel 37 km to a bank at Quiti near Nachni,” said Tulsi Jamyal, gram pradhan of the village.
