MLAs urge speaker not to hold session in Gairsain citing cold
An all-party delegation of legislators, including from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has written to assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan, requesting her to not hold the upcoming Budget session in Gairsain — the state’s summer capital in Chamoli district. The MLAs have cited “cold weather” as a challenge in attending the session, which is likely to be held in the last week of this month.
Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan confirmed the development and said, “All party MLAs have requested me to hold the session in Dehradun instead of Gairsain.” She, however, didn’t reveal the number of MLAs who are signatories of the letter written to her.
Prem Chand Aggarwal, parliamentary affairs minister, while speaking to reporters said, “We will soon call the budget session. Even though the government wishes to hold the session in Gairsain, some MLAs have requested to hold the upcoming session in Dehradun. All party MLAs have made this request.” He said, “It is true that the weather would be chilly there (in Gairsain). We will take all things into consideration, including the sentiments of the legislators. Without them, the session can’t take place.”
Mohammad Shahzad, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA from Laksar in Haridwar district,
said, “The weather is too cold there. The government hasn’t been able to ensure proper arrangements for legislators in Gairsain. It was difficult for us to attend the session in Gairsain last time. We have no objection to the session in Gairsain if it is held in AprilMay.” He said 30-35 MLAs from all parties have requested to not hold the upcoming session in Gairsain.
Gairsain as the state’s summer capital has been a hot political issue since the formation of the state in 2000. Even during the movement of statehood for Uttarakhand, people had demanded to make Gairsain as the state capital. They argued that Gairsain being almost equidistant from both Kumaon and Garhwal divisions, it is better that the state has a permanent hill capital on the lines of Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim.
The then state government on March 4, 2020, had declared Bhararisain, Gairsain, situated on the Dudhatoli peak of the Himalayan region, as the summer capital of the state. The Vidhan Sabha complex in Bhararisain spans 47 acres and is situated at an elevation of 2,380 metres above sea level, making it a cold destination year-round. During sessions, personnel including officers and staff from both the Vidhan Sabha and Secretariat in Dehradun undertake a 10-hour journey to reach the location, and return to the state capital after the conclusion of proceedings.
Holding the budget in Gairsain holds political significance as the Opposition Congress has been lashing at the state government for ignoring the summer capital and has been raising the issue both inside and outside the state assembly in the last few years.