Assembly sessions were being held at Gairsain way before the official announcement
Governor, Baby Rani Maurya gave her assent for declaration of Bhararisen (also known as Gairsain) as the summer capital of Uttarakhand on Monday. Finally, a two-decade-long wait for the people of Uttarakhand came to an end after the announcement of Governor Maurya. People are expecting development in the hilly areas of Uttrakhand after the declaration.
The declaration has come after three months of Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat announcement in the Budget session of assembly that the town will become the summer capital of the state. This Budget session took place in Gairsain itself.
Why does Uttarakhand need a summer capital?
When Uttarakhand was separated from Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000, statehood activists had voiced for Gairsain saying that it was the best-suited place for being the capital as it was between Garhwal and Kumaon region. But Dehradun was named as the temporary capital of the state.
Gairsain is a tehsil in Chamoli district which is approximately 270 kilometres away from the existing capital Dehradun. The BJP in its vision document for the assembly election in 2017 promised to develop the Gairsain by improving infrastructure and consider it as the summer capital of the state.
Government officials say that in 2012, then Congress CM Vijay Bahugana had held the first cabinet meeting in Gairsain’s local block office building. It was also announced at that time that one session will be held in the city every year. He had also laid the foundation stone for the Gairsain’s Vidhan Sabha building in January 2013. So, the local Congress also seeks credit for recognizing Gairsain as the summer capital. The present BJP government and earlier Harish Rawat government have held Assembly sessions in the new summer capital as well.
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Vidhan Sabha in summer capital is built at a height of 2380 meter from sea level
Vidhan Sabha Complex in Gairsain is built at a height of 2380 meter in about 47-acres with a budget of approx Rs 150 crore. It is open only for a few days every year. When an assembly session starts in Gairsain, officers, staff and files from the Secretariat and Vidhan Sabha in Dehradun make the 10-hour journey to the now summer capital and return once proceedings end.
After the announcement of the new summer capital for Uttrakhand, the status of Dehradun is to be observed. It is not clear if it will remain the temporary capital of the state or not.
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