Dehradun, March 4: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Thursday announced Gairsain as the new summer capital of Uttarakhand. The announcement was made in the legislative assembly by the CM. The Opposition ranks are also expected to support the move as senior Congress leader and former CM Harish Rawat had also intended, during his tenure, to designate Gairsain as the summer capital.

Garsain, located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, was demanded by activists to be accorded as the permanent capital of the hill state. Successive governments, however, dodged the issue by pointing out that Garsain lacks the infrastructure which is necessary for a permanent state capital. Uttarakhand Launches Helicopter Services for Gauchar, Chinyalisaur in Garhwal Hills Under Modi Govt Udan Scheme.

"One argument loosely offered in support of Gairsain being made the permanent capital of the state is that it is centrally located. Seen from that angle Nagpur should have been the capital of India," Trivendra Rawat had said in November last year, during a public event.

The Chief Minister, despite his candid remarks on the state of infrastructure in Gairsain, had said that his government is working towards upgrading the infrastructure in order to address the long-pending demand. "We are taking steps to create a lake in Gairsain, which can take care of its entire water needs," he had claimed.

The capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun, where the state assembly is currently in session. As the legislature had reconvened earlier this week, activists staged a peaceful demonstration outside demanding Gairsain to be assigned as the permanent capital. On Tuesday, Rawat had said that he would peacefully "resolve" the dispute.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 04, 2020 07:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).