In 1947, government of Uttar Pradesh bought this land from Arthur Ray for a sum of Rs. 3 lacs. The chief minister at time, Pandit Govindballabh Pant formed a committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Radhakant to settle Indian army veterans at Dunagiri. Under this scheme, which came to be known as ‘Radhakant Plan’, each veteran was to be allotted 5 acres of land and was to be provided flat land for agriculture, cattle and a house. The farmers were to be taxed at Rs.500 and were to be provided various social amenities such as drinking water, school, hospital etc. However, over time the provisions of Radhakant Plan were not implemented and the veterans have had to struggle a lot to even survive. Repeated requests to the government to look into the matter failed to produce any results.
Dunagiri also has a large horticultural garden. Apples from this garden were well known in the 60s and 70s, however, over time the trees in the garden have deteriorated. It is being revived now with new apple saplings. The setting of the garden makes it a spectacular sight to behold.
Currently Dunagiri remains a calm, peaceful and heavenly pleasant place with its verdant greens and unspoilt habitats, partly due to lack of contemporary developmental conveniences. People living here are hardworking and devout by nature – having imbibed the strong spiritual vibrations of this very unique place. It is vitally important to preserve this peaceful, tranquil and heavenly microcosm by providing means of economic self-sufficiency.
