Dehradun: Votaries of "One State, One Capital" began an indefinite fast here on Monday demanding permanent capital status for Gairsain.
"There can be no justification for a small state like Uttarakhand having two capitals which is a British-era concept and a sheer waste of taxpayers" money," said activist Pravin Singh Kashi who led the group of supporters. Denial of permanent capital status to Gairsain was the result of politics against the hills, he said. Gairsain was made the summer capital of Uttarakhand in 2020.
Unless the state government sits in Gairsain, it will not be able to formulate agricultural and industrial policies for the hills, the absence of which has been the root cause of migration, he said. "Ever since Uttarakhand was created, 35 lakh people have migrated from its hills and 400 villages have become ghost villages," Kashi said. He also criticised Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for not holding even a single session of the state assembly in Gairsain. The activist said even Leader of Opposition Pritam Singh did not raise the issue of Gairsain in the recently concluded session of the state assembly in Dehradun.
—PTI