Garhwal MP Anil Baluni (PTI image)

NEW DELHI: As part of his campaign to re-populate settlements hit by exodus of locals in Uttarakhand, Garhwal MP Anil Baluni played Holi with current and former residents of Dhoor village during his visit to the constituency. Several former residents returned to the village briefly to play the festival of colour to render the almost empty village a vibrant feel, which reminded them of a bygone era before they relocated to different cities in search of livelihood. “Since childhood, I have seen villages being deserted because people sought better lives in cities. Today, many of them are called ghost villages . But now, with improved roads, electricity, water and other facilities, it is time to return to our roots, where our heritage truly thrives,” Baluni said.Baluni, who was a Rajya Sabha member before being elected to Lok Sabha in 2024, has been spearheading a campaign to revive traditional festivals, a call given by PM Narendra Modi, and to bring back former residents to their native villages to revive the old way of life in these remote, hilly areas which have suffered stagnation as people left.Once vibrant with laughter and livestock, these hamlets, numbering hundreds across Uttarakhand, lie abandoned now, their terraced fields covered with wild weeds and the houses locked and crumbling, he said. Migration has taken a toll on the region, he added. Baluni said Pauri had eight Assembly constituencies earlier but the number has come down to six and it can fall further after the next “delineation”. Several districts across the hill state are facing the same crisis, he said. Amid the splash of colours and bursts of laughter, Holi was celebrated with the handful of families still staying put 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.