Pauri (Uttarakhand), February 28 BJP MP Anil Baluni visited Dhoor, a "ghost village" in his Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency in Uttarakhand, on Saturday, and celebrated Holi with a few families still living there. They were joined by many former residents who returned from distant cities on the occasion.
In the misty hills of Pauri Garhwal, "ghost villages" stand as silent witnesses to decades of exodus, Baluni said, who is on a mission to repopulate such settlements in his constituency.
Once vibrant with laughter and livestock, these hamlets, numbering hundreds across Uttarakhand, now lie abandoned, their terraced fields covered with wild weeds and the houses locked and crumbling, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said.
Migration has taken a toll on the region, he added.
Baluni said that Pauri had eight Assembly constituencies earlier but the number has come down to six and it can fall further after the next "delimitation". Several districts across the hill state are facing the "same crisis", he said.
"Since childhood, I have seen villages being deserted," Baluni said.
"Today, many are called ghost villages because people sought better lives in cities. But now, with improved roads, electricity, water and other facilities, it is time to return to our roots, where our heritage truly thrives," he said.
Amidst the splashes of colors and bursts of laughter, Holi was celebrated with the few families still staying in Dhoor. They were joined by many former residents who returned from distant cities on the occasion.
Baluni has been visiting such villages at frequent intervals in his efforts to repopulate them. As part of his efforts, the BJP leader has also launched the "Apna Vote Apne Gaon" campaign, urging people to register themselves as voters in their native villages.