Rawat govt puts on hold Garsain capital issue

The Congress government in Uttarakhand has put off for time being the issue of declaring Gairsain as Uttarakhand's permanent capital though Chief Minister Harish Rawat today said the remote hill town is at the centre of his government's priorities.
At a session of Pradesh Congress Committee in Gairsain yesterday it was decided to put off a decision on declaring Gairsain the permanent capital of Uttarakhand for the time being.
When the time is ripe all political parties will sit together and build a consensus over making Gairsain the permanent capital, Rawat had said addressing party leaders.
He today said, "Gairsain, Gaon and Ganga are at the centre of our priorities and we are working accordingly. It is in accordance with that vision that we are working in Gairsain with a well defined action plan and taking measures to strengthen the village economy."

The state government is working with a definite roadmap for the revival of the rural economy, women empowerment and social welfare. A Chief Minister's camp office will soon begin to operate from Gairsain, he said.
Located in the middle of Garhwal and Kumaun regions of Uttarakhand, Gairsain has been an emotive issue for Uttarakhand Kranti Dal which spearheaded the statehood agitation in the 1990s and is a strong votary of the idea of capital being located in the hills.
However, both major political parties BJP and Congress have been non-committal over the issue.