Former chief secretary of Uttarakhand, Rakesh Sharma averred that he is planning to enter politics for the purpose of serving the society. Talking to the media persons at a hotel in Rurdrapur, the retired top bureaucrat spoke in detail about the preparations he had made in order to enter the sphere of politics.
Sharma averred that it is with the sense of working together with the public that he is considering the start of his political career. He said that during his posting in various administrational posts of the state, he had worked in the remote areas and under the difficult circumstances faced in such region. He had entered the field of politics basically motivated by this sense of working with the public for society, said Sharma. He said that politics is the sole platform of its kind wherein if one works with honesty, one can bring about drastic changes in the society. The scope for achieving the intended aim is limited through the means of a non governmental organisation, he said.
Sharma said that after searching through all the Vidhan Sabha constituency segments in the district, he had chosen to work in the Kichha-Pantnagar area citing Kichha as a “bouquet of mutual harmony” with people following different religions and from various sections lived in harmony. Having set foot in Kichha, there is no question of going back, he stressed. After considerable deliberation on the political and social aspects and combinations, it became apparent that the Kichha area offers the greatest scope for the work in mind. There is ample land in this region and availability of land can enable the area to develop to considerable heights. This place has a lot to offer when it comes to development.
Sharma further stressed on the importance of ensuring the proper utilization of the Pantnagar airport, getting started the operation of regular flight services to Dehradun and Delhi from the Pantnagar airport, construction of a big terminal for buses in Kichha and to develop the area into an educational hub. “The operation of helicopter services in Uttarakhand can play a vital role in making the state financially better. During the tourist season, private companies operating helicopter services earn crores of rupees in two to three months. Travelling in a helicopter in quite safe and if its fare is reduced a bit, the state can earn a considerable amount of revenue generated from this,” said Sharma, while further emphasizing on the setting up of helicopter services in the state.” The retired bureaucrat also said that he had not contacted any political party nor had any political party come to him. He had cordial relations with all political parties, recalled the former chief secretary of the state. Sharma hinted at keeping away from party politics with a preference for contesting as an independent candidate.