New Delhi: After Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat proclaimed that the state would have a new permanent summer capital in Gairsain, there has been a tug of war with opposition party Congress on taking credit with the BJP insisting that they deserve the recognition for the announcement.On Wednesday, Rawat announced in the state assembly, after presenting budget, that his government would make Gairsain into the summer capital. Uttarakhand will now be the second state or union territory in the country to have a summer capital after Jammu and Kashmir.In an interview to Times of India on Friday, he stated that creation of the new state was to bring development to far flung states. “Our statehood agitators sacrificed their life for a new state and my decision is a tribute to all those who were a part of the statehood movement,” he said.Gairsain is located around 280 kilometres from Dehradun, which is the provisional state capital.Also read: As Politicians Dither on Uttarakhand’s New Capital, Gairsain Residents Swing Between Hope and DespairIt has been a long-pending demand of locals to have a capital at Gairsain — a nondescript town nestled in Garhwal some 280 km from Dehradun — as the provisional state capital. While the legislative assembly largely sits in Dehradun, it occasionally travels to Gairsain.The Congress accused the BJP of attempting to take the credit for the capital, claiming it had “done all the homework” when it was in power in the state.“During the tenure of Vijay Bahuguna, the Congress organised cabinet meetings at Gairsain and assembly session was first held in tents. Be it the assembly building or the other infrastructure at Bhararisain, all have been developed by the Congress.,” said Congress state chief Pritam Singh.Bhararisain, which is 14 kilometres from Gairsain, is the location for the assembly building.“My simple question is this: Has the BJP even laid a single brick for this massive infrastructure set up by the previous Congress government. Yes, the BJP can take credit for getting glass fitted on this building, but apart from that they have not done anything,” said Singh.He claimed that the Congress did not announce it as permanent summer capital as “we did not want to take decision in haste”.“Without developing the infrastructure, it is not possible to declare it as the summer capital. We stick to our stand. The day the Congress comes to power, Gairsain will be made the permanent capital of Uttarakhand”.People walk on a snow-covered road after heavy snowfall at Gairsain in Chamoli district, March 6, 2020. Photo: PTIWhen TOI asked Rawat about Congress’ criticism that there was no provision for Gairsain in the budget, Rawat said that he did not want to comment.“They are the opposition party and it is the nature (dharma) of an opposition party to oppose whatever the ruling dispensation does. This is a well-thought out decision by us. I have spoken to the respective departments and we will sit together to chalk out the modalities,” he said.The chief minister also questioned Congress for being in power for 10 years and not announcing Gairsain as a summer capital. “As for the question on permanent capital, I have laid the foundation work and we will consolidate on it further,” he said.Rawat admitted that Gairsain was not currently in a condition “to take too much of load”.“Therefore, we need to work on infrastructure development in a sustained manner. We will invite experts and planners and after talking to all of them, we will work out the exact requirements and start on developing the required infrastructure,” he said.Earlier, the chief minister had stated that the biggest problem at Bhararisain was water crisis. “I have spoken to engineers, and asked them to develop a lake near Bhararisain, which can also cater to the water requirements of Gairsain area,” Rawat said.
