Almora – In a significant development, the 44-day-long protest led by villagers under the banner of Rashtraniti Sangathan, spearheaded by Advocate Vinod Chandra Tiwari, concluded with a major breakthrough. The government has shown a positive stance on the villagers’ three-point charter of demands, bringing relief to thousands of affected residents from several gram panchayats.
The core demands included the construction of a bridge over the Kosi River connecting villages like Khunt, Dhams, Senar, Chan, Raun, and Dal; blacktopping of rural roads; provision of drinking water at GIC Khunt; and granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the hill communities.
A massive public meeting was organized today at Gandhi Park in Almora, where hundreds of villagers gathered. Former Speaker of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, Mr. Raghunath Singh Chauhan, along with senior departmental officers, met the protestors and facilitated direct talks with government officials. Authorities announced that tenders for road and bridge construction would be issued within two months.
Officials further confirmed the approval of ₹5.50 crore for the bridge project and ₹3 crore for road blacktopping. Drinking water arrangements at GIC Khunt will be restored within a month, along with repairs to tanks and pipelines. On the issue of ST status, officials assured that the government is actively considering the proposal. Mr. Chauhan also committed that if the promised actions are not initiated within the timeline, he will personally join the protest again.
This protest gained momentum through grassroots mobilization, including educational campaigns across villages. An innovative move involved collecting ₹1 as symbolic donations from 2000 villagers, which was handed over to the administration with a request to deposit the amount into the state treasury.
The villagers expressed deep gratitude to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and acknowledged the instrumental role of Mr. Chauhan. Advocate Vinod Chandra Tiwari was widely lauded for his unwavering dedication to the cause, having put his legal practice on hold for 44 days. Villagers hailed him as a “Vikas Purush” (man of development) who will be remembered for his leadership in this historic struggle.
The movement’s organizing committee also extended thanks to numerous supporters who contributed to the sustained protest effort, including Madan Singh Bisht, Nandan Singh Bisht, Ajay Joshi, Govind Prasad, Pooran Singh Bora, Suresh Tiwari, Neema Arya, Sushil Shah, media representatives, and district officials.
Among the prominent attendees at today’s gathering were Ravi Rautela, Kundan Latwal, Bittu Karnatak, Harsh Kanwal, Puran Singh, Arjun Singh, Vineet Bisht, Dharmendra Bisht, Bhavana Pandey, Poonam Paliwal, Nisha, Naveen Bisht, Manoj Tiwari, Laxman Singh, Deepak Arya, and Devendra Mehta.
The successful conclusion of this movement not only reflects a triumph for the local communities but also stands as a powerful testament to the strength of collective civic action and peaceful protest.
