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UP: Dream come true for freedom fighter’s village
Setting an example: Villagers in Shahjahanpur donate 30-bigha land for intermediate and degree colleges. CM to be requested to name buildings and faculties in the degree college after the 12 CRPF personnel from Uttar Pradesh who were among the 41 killed in Pulwama terror attack.
At least 79 residents of Nawada Darobast, the native village of freedom fighter Thakur Roshan Singh, in Shahjahanpur district, have set an example and donated a total of 30 bigha land to end their 70-year wait for intermediate and degree colleges in the village.
The village is known for its association with Thakur Roshan Singh, who was hanged in 1927 for his role in the Kakori case in which the British accused him and Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan of looting the British government treasury.
Bismil and Khan also belonged to Shahjahanpur.
Since the work is under progress, the villagers of Nawada Darobast have also decided to write to chief minister Yogi Adityanath to name different buildings and faculties in the upcoming degree college after the 12 Central Reserve Police Force jawans from Uttar Pradesh who were among the 41 killed in a terror attack in Pulwama on February 14.
“Pulwama won’t just remind us of our brave soldiers who laid down their lives for the country. It will also remind us of the country’s collective will to avenge those who target our soldiers,” said Ramesh Chauhan, a villager and brother-in-law of Sarita Singh, the village pradhan.
Last month, the Yogi Adityanath government gave its nod to the construction of intermediate and degree colleges in the village to cater to students from nearly 500 villages spread across Bareilly, Shahjahanpur and Pilibhit districts with which Nawada Darobast shares its boundary.
Even before the project could take off, local officials informed the government the village did not have enough government land for the college.
“There was a possibility that the degree college project could be moved out of our village. Having waited for nearly 70 years, it was like letting a dream die, something we were not ready for,” said army captain (retd) Ashok Singh.
Singh’s wife Sarita, who is the village head of Nawada Darobast, ran an awareness campaign in the village with the help of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader and former union minister of state for home Swami Chinmayanand.
Sarita Singh said she also donated land for the project and Chinmayanand used his clout to ensure that the project did not get derailed.
Dhirendra Singh, a Bareilly-based farmer who has several relatives in Nawada Darobast and nearby villages, said: “About 79 villagers joined hands to ensure that the government project was not shifted out of the village. Each of them committed to donating their land. In no time, they donated their 30 bigha land and informed the government that the project could take off.”
On December 30, chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited the village to lay the foundation stone of the project.
Besides the colleges, the chief minister sanctioned a hospital, bridge, bus and cremation ground for the village.
Jitendra Pratap Singh, the great grandson of Thakur Roshan Singh, said: “At a time when people commit murders for a piece of land, it’s indeed a pleasant surprise to see the poor villagers setting a noble example.”
“Ours was a neglected village. In the rainy season, we found it difficult to cremate our dead. At least now, this village of a martyr will change for the better. We have waited for nearly 70 years for it,” Captain (retd) Ashok Singh said.
BJP leaders said the party would highlight the move – villagers donating land and government sanctioning a big project – as an achievement of the Yogi government.
“We have so far been used to government doles. In the age of public-private partnership (PPP), this is a lovely example of people’s participation and how things can happen if the intention is honest,” BJP leader Chandra Mohan said.
