DEHRADUN: Until a few years ago, the neighboring villages of Raithal and Barsu jointly celebrated the traditional Andudi Utsav, also known as the Butter Festival, in the alpine meadows, or bugyals.
However, the dynamics of this celebration began to shift after the state govt announced plans to construct a ropeway to boost adventure tourism in these meadows.
The govt agencies began assessing the feasibility of the ropeway project from both villages to Dayara bugyal situated at an altitude of 3,408m (11,181ft) above sea level, which lies equidistant, around 7km, from each settlement.
While a final decision on the ropeway’s starting point is yet to be made, indications suggest that Raithal’s soil is more stable compared to Barsu’s, which is prone to subsidence.
Anticipating that the project may be awarded to Raithal, local politicians at the block and village level began objecting to the Andudi Utsav, traditionally led by Raithal villagers. Meanwhile, Barsu villagers submitted a PIL opposing the influx of tourists into eco-sensitive region.
A group from Raithal village has formed an organisation to rejuvenate the festival whose hallmark is that villagers play Holi with butter and buttermilk during the event.
However, Barsu residents have been less enthusiastic about the festival, accusing Raithal’s residents of overhyping the event.
Their primary concern is that an influx of visitors to the bugyal could harm its delicate ecology. “We’re not against it, but our main worry is the number of visitors, which could exceed the high court’s stipulated limit of attendees over the two-day event,” said Rajveer Rawat, the spouse of Barsu’s village head.
Santosh Bhatt, former member of the Electricity Consumer Redressal Commission, said, “The state is planning a 7km ropeway to Dayara bugyal, with the starting point yet to be determined. Both villages are nearly equidistant from the meadow, but Raithal seems more feasible for the project. This has fuelled the tension.”
A PIL by the Aali-Bedini-Bagzi Bugyal Sanrakshan Samiti led to an order in 2018 mandating the state to protect and conserve the bugyals in Chamoli. Now, the same petitioner has highlighted the need to safeguard Dayara bugyal. This PIL also has Barsu villagers as petitioners.
Recently, the high court had instructed the state and local authorities to ensure that no more than 200 people attend the festival at any given time, with a total limit of 1,500 attendees for the two-day event on Aug 15-16.
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