Jalali ( Almora) - The non functioning Block
During the visit of Chief Minister of undivided Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati had declared two districts, while addressing a Shilpkar Rally at Almora on 4 September, 1997. Bageshwar and Chamoli were declared as Districts and Jalali was declared as a Block. Both the districts came into existence and Jalali Block was also inaugurated by Deepak Krishna Verma, the then District Magistrate Almora on 8 April, 1999. Thus the 34 year old demand of the people was met. A sign-board was also put up in the Sahakari Samiti Building from where the Block office started functioning. The District Magistrate deputed an Assistant Development Officer (ADO) as in-charge Block Development Officer (BDO), Jalali. And the office of the BDO, Jalali started its normal functioning. The Administration also asked the Rural Engineering Service (RES) Department to prepare necessary estimates for the construction of the office building of the Block Office. However this achievement of the people of Jalali lasted hardly for less than two months. Within two months the Block Office was closed down and since then the people of Jalali call it a non-functioning Block. Today, believe it or not Jalali is a non-functioning Block.
Some times back however three MLAs belonging to the different political parties met at Jalali to support the demand of the people for Jalali Block. The meeting had an overwhelming participation of the people specially the women. Bharatiya Janta Party MLA Surendra Jina, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, MLA Pushpesh Tripathi, whose party is a participant in the Government and Congress MLA Karan Mahara shared the same dais and vowed to fight for the establishment of Jalali Block. They promised to raise the issue of Jalali Block with one voice in the ensuing Vidhan Sabha session of Uttarakhand commencing from 3 March, 2008.
Jalali is a junction of three Blocks, viz. Dwarahat, Bhikiyasen and Tarikhet. The distance of Dwarahat from Jalali is about 25 Kms, Bhikiyasen is about 54 Kms. and Ranikhet is about 35 Kms. away. The proposed Jalali Block has 7 Naya Panchayats, viz. Takulti, Pali, Jalali, Daula, Era, Paithani and Sagneti with about 65 Village Panchayats. Interestingly the BJP and the Congress both recognize it as a Block from the organizational point of view. The BJP has a Mandal (Bloc) Committee in Jalali and the Congress has a Block Congress Committee at Jalali.
The Block Sangharsh Samiti, President, Jagdish Budhani and the BCC President Digpal Singh Bisht both are highly optimistic about the creation of Jalali Block in view of massive participation of the people in the recent meeting which had the support of all the MLAs of the area, irrespective of party affiliation. They have decided to lead a delegation of the people of Jalali after observing the outcome of the efforts of the three MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha. They are now determined to fight a long drawn battle for the accomplishment of the Block.
Today however all the promise of the public representatives have proved to be promises only and the people are once again talk of fighting another battle to restore the functioning of Jalali-The non-functional block.(D.N.Barola)