To commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of six statehood activists who died in police firing in Mussoorie on September 2, 1994 when the region was in the thick of the movement, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat made some announcements on Saturday while paying his tribute to the Statehood martyrs.
He placed a wreath at the martyrs’ plinth in the hill station. While paying his emotive tribute to the six martyrs, he said that their supreme sacrifice for the cause of the statehood had not gone in vain. “They precipitated things towards the consummation devoutly wished for by the people,” he said.
While dwelling on a unique feature of the statehood movement here, the Chief Minister said that it had carved a niche for itself in the annals of the statehood movements staged across the country because of the monumental role played by the women and the servicemen.
“It was a consistent movement and it culminated with the creation of Uttarakhand on November 9, 2000. Everyone made his or her contribution. Even the media consistently gave space to the movement. All their efforts bore fruit as the people got the State of their own finally,” he said.
He also announced a slew of decisions to mark the occasion. He said that the work of the Mussoorie Civil Hospital would be completed in the next three months. “Besides, the affected families of Sila and Chalchala villages will be given Rs 25,000 each as compensation. The State Government would build vendor zone in Mussoorie. Bhiladu stadium would be completed soon. Works of Jal Nigam Mussoorie’s sewer line and road construction would be completed shortly,” he said. He asked the MDDA officials to build roof over the martyrs’ column. “Mussoorie is having population of mere 50,000, but it is serving 30 lakh tourists per year. However, it is facing acute parking problem. We would try every means to resolve it. Furthermore, the State Government has been planning a mono rail which will ferry the people to the queen of hills in the coming days,” CM said.
He vowed to build the State in line with the dream dreamt by the statehood activists. “We will bring pace in the development process. This would help check migration by promoting employment opportunities and re-jigging education and health systems. To check migration and create employment, we will focus on promoting tourism. For this, we are focusing on 13 district 13 new destinations project. The State Government is laying thrust on agriculture and industrial development. In Dehradun, we have been developing a cultural village (sanskriti gram) where the people can have a look of the state’s rich culture. With the implementation of the all- weather road on the char dham worth Rs 12,000 crore, the State would see better days in the developmental sense. Things are moving fast with forest clearance having been obtained for 370 kilometer stretch. land has been acquired too for laying tracks on Rishikesh- Karnprayag rail project. Survey has been completed for Badrinath-Sonprayag railway line,” he said.
The Chief Minister also referred to agriculture, calling it the fulcrum of the State’s economy. “Keeping this in view, we are giving emphasis on land consolidation. It will start from Khairasain, a village from where I hail. Then the village of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would be taken up. It would be followed by the village of the State Agriculture Minister Subodh Uniyal. Committees have already been formed. Over 1,000 patwaris and retired tehsildars are being recruited afresh by the State Government. The State dotted with 670 nyay panchayats, the State Government is planning to develop them as growth centres which would turn out to employment generation centres,” the Chief Minister said.