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Udham Singh Nagar an integral part of Kumaon, says K C Pant

Former Union minister K C Pant today said Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh belonged to the Kumaon region uninterruptedly for over a thousand years, and described the controversy regarding its inclusion in the proposed Uttaranchal state as ''unnecessary''.

In a statement in New Delhi, Pant pointed out that when the Kumaon and Garhwal divisions were formed in 1968, Uttarakhand consisted eight districts. The UP assembly unanimously passed resolutions in 1991 and 1994 urging the Centre to carve out a new state consisting of the same districts -- Almora, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pauri, Dehradun and Chamoli.

Between 1996 and 1998, these eight districts were rearranged to create four more districts -- Uttam Singh Nagar, Champavat, Bageshwar and Rudraprayag. ''Now Uttarakhand consists of 12 districts instead of eight without any change in its territorial area. There is no scope for confusion about Udham Singh Nagar being an integral part of Kumaon,'' he said.

''Right from ancient times, the Terai and Bhabar have been an integral part of Uttarakhand ... The district of Nainital, including the Terai region, was formed in 1862 and there was no change in its composition till 1996 when Udham Singh Nagar was artificially fractured encompassing the Terai area of Nainital,'' Pant said.

Referring to the social fabric of Udham Singh Nagar, he said,''It will be misleading for anyone to claim that any group or community in the mixed population has a majority or dominant position. Udham Singh Nagar is more like a much coloured bouquet rather than a monochromatic clutch of flowers.''

Welcoming the proposal for the formation of Uttaranchal, he said, ''In a small state, the various groups will have their interests better looked after and have much more influence in running the affairs of the state.''

UNI

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