U'khand CM lays foundation stone of development projects worth over Rs 76 cr in Gairsain

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday hoisted the national flag both in Dehradun and Gairsain, the summer capital of the state, where he also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of development projects worth over Rs 76 crore to mark the Independence Day.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday hoisted the national flag both in Dehradun and Gairsain, the summer capital of the state, where he also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of development projects worth over Rs 76 crore to mark the Independence Day.  It is for the first time that a chief minister unfurled the tricolour at Gairsain, which was formally declared the summer capital of the state in June, fulfilling a major promise made by the BJP in its vision document for the 2017 assembly polls.  The development projects worth Rs 76.67 crore include the construction of a helipad in Gairsain, an EVM warehouse at Gopeshwar and reconstruction and repairs of over a dozen motor roads in the area.  A hill town in Chamoli district, located at the centre of Kumaon and Garhwal regions, Gairsain has been an emotive issue in Uttarakhand as it was conceived as the permanent capital of the state by those who spearheaded the movement for statehood in the 1990s.   Earlier, at the flag hoisting ceremony held at the police lines in Dehradun, Rawat said Gairsain's planned development is his priority as he announced a dozen projects for it. These include a 50-bed sub-district hospital equipped with telemedicine facilities, a mini secretariat within the Vidhan Sabha premises at Bhararisain, a drinking water project, cold storage and a food processing plant at Gairsain block.  He said the Jio OFC networking will be expanded in Gairsain-Bhararisain, the adjoining Benital, where a beautiful lake flows, will be developed into an astro village, and an eco-trail pr eco-park will be developed in Bhararisain.   The money will also be sanctioned for the construction of a government ITI building in Gairsain and the creation of necessary infrastructure there, he said.  Claiming that his government had fulfilled 85 per cent of the promises made to the people of the state in the 2017 assembly polls, Rawat said making Gairsain the summer capital of the state was one of them.  Admitting that the coronavirus pandemic has cast its shadow on the Independence Day celebrations, Rawat spoke of the steps taken by his government to strengthen the health infrastructure in the state to grapple with the crisis.  There are enough COVID hospitals, ICUs, isolation beds, ventilators and doctors in the state to deal with any emergency, he said.  He said around 4 lakh migrants were brought back by the state government in the wake of the crisis. Apart from constantly monitoring their health, their skill mapping has also been done to provide them with employment under the Mukhya Mantri Swarojgar Yojana, Rawat said.  Rawat expressed confidence that the pandemic will finally be defeated and with people's co-operation and guidance he will be able to build the Uttarakhand of their dreams.  He also spoke of the state government's investment-friendly policies and how development starved hilly areas of the state had been kept at the centre of the MSME projects to generate employment in rural areas.       The chief minister also mentioned a massive campaign being run by the state government to revive the state's rivers, lakes and ponds.         Rawat also hoisted the tricolour at his official residence in Dehradun. PTI ALM  DPB