Dehradun, Oct. 24 -- As Uttarakhand gears up to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of its formation, it is time to introspect on the achievements, the failures, and the challenges. There is no doubt that before becoming a separate state, the hills were a neglected part of UP - not deliberately but due to their remoteness and the distance from the centre of political power. One had to travel all the way to Lucknow for even minor administrative issues, and to Allahabad for High Court litigation. Even so, the local people did not feel much alienated, but the Mandal Commission set off the spark that turned the long-held demand for a separate state into a people's agitation. It needs to be reiterated as often as possible that the statehood movement re...