After Andhra Pradesh settled the capital issue, the ruling Congress in Uttarakhand has also expressed its readiness to resolve the 14-year-old capital city issue, saying Gairsain should be made the permanent capital of the state.
Gairsain, a non-descript town in Chamoli district, was declared the unofficial capital of Uttarakhand by the statehood activists in the 1990s because it's centrally located. When Uttarakhand was formed, Dehradun was made the interim capital on November 9, 2000. Since then, the issue is still hanging in the balance.
"Gairsain should be made the permanent capital of Uttarakhand in line with the aspirations of statehood activists," said state Congress President Kishore Upadhayay, close on the heels of Vijayawada being made the capital of Andhra Pradesh. This is the first time when Congress party has supported Gairsain as the capital of Uttarakhand. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to take a stand on the Gairsain issue.
Upadhayay told Business Standard that he had already held talks with Chief Minister Harish Rawat on the capital issue. "The chief minister is also positive on the issue of Gairsain and supports the idea of declaring it as the permanent capital of Uttarakhand," Upadhayay said.
Earlier, the chief minister had announced that his government was working on a plan to make Gairsain as the summer capital of the state.
"Gairsain is going to be the summer capital and we are moving towards it," Rawat had said. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has also stated that the capital should be shifted to Gairsain.
Since there is no political consensus on the Gairsain issue, the chief minister said it was required. However, Rawat made it clear that the government will provide all infrastructure facilities to Gairsain. Already, the government is constructing a grand Vidhan Sabha building at Gairsain.
However, BJP has not made its stand clear on the capital issue. "The Congress is simply doing politics on Gairsain, and there is no seriousness on the issue," said Ajay Bhatt, the leader of the Opposition.
