Villagers Protest Delay in Road Construction, PWD Official Gives Written Assurance

Bhulyuda (Almora),
Despite the road construction work from Paparsali to the vegetable-producing village of Bhulyuda commencing in July 2021 under the joint initiative of social activist Vinay Kiraula and local villagers, the project remains incomplete to date. As per the bond agreement, the 3-kilometre road was supposed to be completed by July 2022, but due to the Public Works Department’s (PWD) indifferent attitude and lack of coordination with the Forest Department, the work has seen little to no progress even as of June 2, 2025.

Vinay Kiraula, spearheading the “Gaon Chalo Abhiyan” (Back to Village Campaign), highlighted that Bhulyuda is a highly fertile village located near Almora town. It is known for year-round vegetable cultivation. Many youth who returned from cities have adopted farming as a livelihood, growing high-value crops like broccoli and avocado without any government support. They have also set up their own marketing and distribution channels. Despite such promise, the village continues to suffer due to administrative neglect from local representatives and departments like agriculture and horticulture.

Over the past six months, villagers have submitted multiple memorandums to the Executive Engineer of the PWD, but received only empty promises. In response, angered residents, led by Kiraula, staged a protest and gherao (encirclement) of the PWD office.

During the protest, villagers submitted a notarized declaration on stamp paper, demanding that road construction begin within one month. Under intense public pressure, the Executive Engineer provided a written assurance stating that the construction work would begin from July 20, 2025. Only after receiving this assurance did the villagers agree to end the protest.

Key protesters included:
Social activist Vinay Kiraula, Jeevan Singh Bisht, Sanjay Bisht, Mohit Bisht, village administrator Vaishali Tamta, Kamal Bisht, Gaurav Bisht, Asha Devi, Bahadur Singh Bisht, Harish Bisht, Zaman Singh Bisht, Jagdish Bisht, Pushpa Devi, Anita Devi, Suraj Bisht, Amit Bisht, Himanshu Bisht, Geeta Bisht, Mamta Mehta, Kishan Singh, Pawan Singh Bisht, Deepanshu Bisht, Gopal Singh Bisht, Sagar Bisht and several others.