The people of Joshimath in Chamoli district demanding backward area status for this town and surrounding rural areas have been carrying out their protest for three months now without getting any positive response from the State authorities. Miffed at the Government for protracted apathy towards their demand, all the traders kept the shutters of their shops down in protest while a number of people took out a protest rally in support of their demand. The protesters warned that they would either boycott or field their own candidate in the coming Vidhan Sabha elections if the state government continues to ignore their demand for declaration of Joshimath as a backward area.
Though the demand for declaring Joshimath a backward area is being raised by the people for about 40 years now, the latest agitation has been underway for about three months now. The protesters are miffed at governmental apathy with no decision being taken on their demand by the state cabinet which is intensifying public dissatisfaction. On Friday, most shops and business outlets in the region remained closed in protest while women and men who had arrived here from various rural areas in the region took out a protest rally in support of their demand. The Sangharsh Samiti undertaking the agitation in support of OBC area status for Joshimath region warned that if their demand is not met soon, they together with the public will either boycott the 2017 Vidhan Sabha election or themselves choose and field a candidate from the assembly constituency.
It is pertinent to mention here that during the tenure of Vijay Bahuguna as the chief minister during 2012-2014, a survey report had been sought from the Chamoli district magistrate regarding the demand for inclusion of people of Joshimath in the Other Backward Classes on the basis of social, economic and educational backwardness. The Sub Divisional Magistrate had submitted the 48-page report along with recommendations to the state administration in 2014. The State OBC commission has also submitted its report to the Government but the government has not yet made its position clear on the issue.
In the past, Chief Minister Harish Rawat, cabinet minister and Badrinath MlA Rajendra Bhandari too had to face protest from the locals on this issue while visiting on different occasions. Vice Chairman of the Painkhanda Vikas Sangharsh Samiti which is undertaking the protest, Bharat Singh Kunwar said that if the state cabinet does not decide on the issue, the body of protesters will go to the public in the region appealing the people to boycott the 2017 Vidhan Sabha pollsa or to choose and field their own candidate. It now remains to be seen whether any decision is taken to resolve this long standing issue in the next Cabinet meeting.