Monday, 23 August 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
Senior Congress leader Yogendra Khanduri has written to the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asking for the state government’s position to be cleared regarding the state capital. He said that Gairsain was declared the state’s summer capital during the Assembly session in March last year and various announcements regarding the development of Gairsain were made by the government on August 15 that year.
However, the state government hasn’t clarified yet as to what the form of the summer capital Gairsain will be. Khanduri has sought a detailed discussion on this issue in the monsoon session of the Assembly starting on Monday and that clear announcements be made so that the public is not confused. He asked whether Uttarakhand will follow the system adopted in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh or Jammu and Kashmir, and whether the provision of two capitals is in the interests of the state. He also cited the observations made by the Jammu and Kashmir high court in a petition against the ‘Darbar Move’, the 148-year old practice of shifting capitals between Jammu and Srinagar annually. The court had then noted, “If this practice was rationalised, the amount of money, resources and time which could be saved, could be utilised towards the development of the Union Territory, which has otherwise witnessed much turmoil.”
Stating that the idea of two capitals is improper, Khanduri said that if the state government is unable to declare one permanent capital it should hold a public referendum and decide on the state capital on its basis.
