The sit in demonstration and relay hunger strike of the villagers of Dangi village and other adjoining villages of Kaljikhal block in Pauri district entered the sixth day on Sunday. The villagers are disappointed with the attitude of the State authorities as a two and half kilometre stretch of Ghandiyal-Pali–Dangi motor road has not been constructed despite the persistent demand of the villagers of the area for the last past eleven years.
The agitation of the villagers of the area started on May 1 in the Pali bend site and day by day the numbers of people participating the relay hunger strike has been increasing with even senior citizens coming out in support of the large number of women undertaking the protest. On Sunday, Ranveer Singh Chauhan, Sate Singh Negi, Jagmohan Dangi, Mahila Mangal Dal head Sangeeta Devi, Kanta Devi, Anusuya Devi, Pushpa Devi and others sat on relay hunger strike.
Social worker Jagmohan Dangi said that the villagers were demanding the construction of Ghandiyal- Pali-Dangi motor road for the last eleven years. In support of this demand, the villagers had also called for the boycott of the assembly election, but on assurance of the district magistrate, the villagers had withdrawn the call to boycott the poll. This road will benefit people of at least four other villages. Village Dangi is also a polling center used by voters from nine revenue villages but this polling center had been deprived of the basic facility of road.
This Ghandiyal-Pali-Dangi motor road was sanctioned in the year 2016, but has not been accorded the financial approval so far.The old villagers say that information about the condition of the area and other points had been communicated to the State Rural Development and Migration Commission but the commission’s vice chairman had not heeded their voice. The villagers further alleged that the rural development and migration commission had submitted its survey report to state Government but had done so without the physical verification survey.