Once again, women play a pivotal role in the struggle to save the trees. 1979 Activists form the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal to contest elections and pursue statehood for the impoverished region. The Indian government bans the felling of trees above 1000 meters. However, the Forest Protection Act has the unintended consequence of strengthening the timber mafia while also depriving people of their forest rights. 1980s Anti-alcohol agitation begins anew and sharpens social tensions between men and women in the hills.
Deforestation continues, though tempered by government regulations.
Mining interests and dam projects threaten the Himalayan ecosystem. A devastating earthquake rocks Uttar Kashi, killing over 2,000 people. The slowness of relief operations and reconstruction upsets many hill residents, already accustom to the prolonged neglect afforded the region by state and federal governments. Despite measures in the state legislature towards granting separate status for Uttarakhand, the new backward-caste dominated government of Uttar Pradesh extends caste reservations into the hills. These reservations, though established to increase opportunity and social justice for low-caste people, meets with fierce resistance in Uttarakhand.