Uttarakhand polls: Nainital's Bindukhatta deprived of revenue village status for 40 years

Nainital (Uttarakhand) [India], February 13 (ANI): Deprived of revenue village status for the last 40 years, locals in Uttarakhand's Bindukhatta village, with a population of around 70,000 to 80,000 are still dispossessed of legal ownership of their land and houses.
Despite having a population of over 70,000, Bindukhatta village under the Lalkuan assembly constituency has only around 35,000 valid voters. This is because, as per government law, this village is situated on forest land and as a result not considered a revenue village.
A village given the status of revenue village falls under the revenue department instead of the forest department. Such villages have definite surveyed boundaries and its residents enjoy individual land ownership rights.
Jodh Singh Bisht, who has retired from the Indian Army and is a resident of Bindukhatta village said, "The BJP and Congress parties in power have worked towards the upliftment of the village but could not facilitate the legal ownership of our land and house to us."
Bisht said, "For the last 40 years, people made their houses and settled in the Bindukhatta village. All the political parties promised that the village will get a revenue village status but till now it has not got it. Due to this villagers are deprived of facilities like bank loans including many government schemes."
Bisht further added, Bindukhatta village is a reserved forest area and people from most of the hilly districts of Kumaon and Garhwal of Uttarakhand who got affected by natural disasters settled in the Bindukhatta village being situated on flat land.
Bisht said, "Most of the people settled in Bindukhatta village are either affected by the disaster or are landless. Road, electricity, water, hospital and school facility is available in the village."
Another resident Darshan Giri Goswami said, "It has been more than four decades and most of the families in the village are working or retired Indian Army families. Despite this, the village has not been able to get the status of revenue village. People find it difficult to take bank loans for their livelihood, business, business, and other things."
Diwan Singh, Darshan Giri Goswami and Jodh Singh Bisht are very excited about tomorrow's state election. He has lived in Bindukhatta village under the Lalkuan assembly constituency since 1979 and still is deprived of legal ownership of his property.
Election for 70 assembly seats in Uttarakhand is scheduled for tomorrow. (ANI)