Uttaranchal
is carved out of 13 districts of northern
Uttar Pradesh. The state has an area of 51,
125 sq.km, governed from the popular hill
station of Nainital. The state is bordered
by Nepal to the east, while the lower Himalayas
separate China in the north. The states of
Haryana and Himachal Pradesh border it in
the west and northwest respectively. The state
earns most of its revenues from tourism, for
long its main and often the only source of
income, bringing in Rs 250 crore every year.
The other source of income for most families
in this region is the money order remittance
from migrants to other states. Indeed, the
region has been, for long, a popular draw
for tourists, trekkers and pilgrims alike.
But the legislators to the new assembly will
try and develop the IT industry, and set up
power projects to generate revenue. Fruit
processing units and medicinal plants too
have potential for development. In the colonial
period, the numerous districts of present
Uttaranchal were ruled over by petty hill
princes, who owed their allegiance to the
British. Some of the earliest educational
institutes like the Roorkee engineering college
and schools like Sherwood College and Doon
school draw many students here. With independence
in 1947, they were made a part of the much
larger state of Uttar Pradesh. Among the prominent
nationalist figures who emerged from this
region, that of Gobind Vallabh Pant stands
out. The town of Pantnagar in Nainital district
has been named after him. Since the 80s, the
region has been at the forefront of the environmental
movement, spearheaded by Sunderlal Bahuguna
and Chandi Prasad Bhatt. There has also been
much opposition to the proposed Tehri Dam
in the district of Tehri Garhwal that threatens
to wipe away entire villages.
