Pithoragarh district
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Schools
Remain closed for years
Prem Punetha, Here schools open in poll time only, Feb 6, 2017, The Times of India
HIGHLIGHTS
Over 50 schools in Pithoragarh district have remained closed for the past few years
However, come election time and some of them are opened, hastily cleaned up and converted into poll booths
A govt primary school in Champawat. A govt primary school in Champawat.
They are ghost buildings — where instead of the clamour of students and the sound of lessons, an eerie silence prevails.
Over 50 schools in Pithoragarh district have remained closed for the past few years because the families of children studying here have migrated from the area in search of better livelihood options. As a result, these buildings lie abandoned. However, come election time and some of them are opened, hastily cleaned up and converted into poll booths. The government primary school in Bona village, 10 km from the nearest roadhead, is one such institution. Located in a remote corner of the Dharchula constituency which lies along the India-Nepal border, the school closed in 2013. This election, the building will function as a polling booth for Bona and Golfa village which have 632 voters. "Those who want to educate their children do not stay in the village since the only occupation is agriculture. Most of the families with children have migrated to Munsiyari. That is why the school had to shut down," says Puran Pandey, a local resident.
It is a similar story in villages of nearby Didihat constituency. The government primary school at Bhulagaon for instance closed almost three years back due to lack of students. A few days ago, its lock was opened and preparations were ongoing to make it a polling centre for the 387 voters of villages like Bhulagoan, Adali and Majhera. The school was put to a similar use in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well.
It's not as if the problem is limited to Pithoragarh alone. In almost all the remote hill districts of Kumaon, it is a similar story. In Champawat for example, Sunadi village, once home to 55 families, has just 20 families left. Consequently, it's primary school downed shutters and will now function as a polling booth.
"Who would want to stay in a village where there are no medical facilities and education opportunities?," says an agitated Naresh Joshi, a local villager. "Wild animals destroy our crops and the poor quality of education compels us to send our wards two kilometres away to a private school," he adds.
AK Jukariya, district education officer, Pithoragarh, expressed helplessness at the closing of schools in the area. "If we have sufficient number of students, we can re-open them. But until that happens, it is not viable for us to run these schools."
Pilgrims pots
As in 2023
Gaurav Talwar & Prem Punetha, Oct 17, 2023: The Times of India
From: Gaurav Talwar & Prem Punetha, Oct 17, 2023: The Times of India
There is a point near the Tibetan border called ‘Old Lipu’, situated at an altitude of 17,500 feet, from where Mount Kailash can be seen without entering China. The abode of Lord Shiva has never been so tantalisingly close for the legions of his believers.The viewing spot, near Nabhidang, can be reached after a steep climb of 2km and is the only place in Uttarakhand which offers a majestic view of Mt Kailash in Tibet.
The Old Lipu peak lies on the western side of the Lipulekh Pass, the gateway to the Tibetan plateau.Large stretches of a new road and infrastructure in Pithoragarh region were spruced up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Uttarakhand. What the PM’s presence there did was to highlight a hitherto difficult-to-access pilgrimage.
Not surprisingly, tourism officials now say that the PM’s trip has sparked interest in the area and since roads have been widened and improved to reach various spots that allow a breathtaking view of ‘Kailash parvat’, they are considering developing Old Lipu as well.According to an estimate, the aerial distance from Old Lipulekh pass to Mt Kailash is just 50km and the view is usually clear, the mountain looming just beyond. It’s as if one can touch it.
The Kailash Mansarovar yatra, organised by the ministry of external affairs (MEA), which passes via Pithoragarh has been suspended since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, but there is considerable interest among pilgrims to have a ‘darshan’ of Mt Kailash. It is this that the new roads, the rest houses that are being planned, the eateries along the way will facilitate.In June this year, a joint team led by officials from the tourism department visited the Old Lipu trek to check the feasibility of having an alternate route for pilgrims.
A report was sent to the Union government in this regard.District tourism officer, Pithoragarh, Kirti Arya, said, “To reach the base camp where there are tourist huts put up by Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), one has to drive 110km from Dharchula to Nabhidhang via Gunji. Then a 9km-drive will take you to the base camp, from where a 2km steep trek to the peak situated at an altitude of 17,500 feet. From there, Mt Kailash is clearly visible.”
Villagers in Vyas Valley, where the Mt Kailash viewing spot is situated, said, earlier too, the pilgrims who could not cross over to Mansarovar due to old age or health issues used to get ‘darshan’ of the sacred site from the Old Lipulekh peak. In fact, for many local villagers, Old Lipu is a sanctified pilgrimage spot that their ancestors, too, went to, for a glimpse of the peak.
