Uttarkashi locals on Thursday observed a bandh to protest against the December 18, 2012, notification of the Central Government according to which a 100-km stretch of the Bhagirathi river from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi was to be declared as eco-sensitive.
On Thursday, when the notification completed two years, people, including local leaders from the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the BSP, observed a bandh between Uttarkashi and Gaumukh – the area notified as eco-sensitive.
Bhatwari block pramukh Chandan Singh Panwar, who was among those spearheading the protest, said, “We want the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) notification to be scrapped.”
Mr. Panwar said 88 villages in Uttarkashi district came under the ambit of the notification. “The area has been facing disasters for two years [2012 and 2013]. This area needs development; so, we are against the ESZ notification.”
On Thursday, the protestors submitted a memorandum to Uttarkashi District Magistrate C. Ravishankar requesting cancellation of the 2012 notification.
Mr. Ravishankar said, “The memorandum will be sent to the Prime Minister.”
“Many protestors are unaware that the notification is not anti-development. I explained it to them [the protestors] that the Zonal Master Plan for the notified area will be made only after consultation with the villagers, especially women. However, the locals continue to have apprehensions about the notification,” he said.
