Media engaged in comparing the performance of the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat particularly with that of his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Adityanath Yogi while contrasting the flamboyancy of the latter with the slow but steady approach of the former, the CM Rawat said that it is wrong to go for such comparisons. “We have all our own approach of doing things, acting in different styles in tune with our respective temperaments. However, the objective before us is the same- providing a Government committed to development, transparency and free of corruption. One should wait and watch for some time instead of jumping to conclusions,” he said while talking to the media on completing a month in office on Tuesday.
Making it clear that his government is not for filling the state’s coffer through boosting sale of liquor, he said that they would rather bring down the time of the operation of the booze shops to six hours a day from the current 12 to 14 hours. “Such shops would be open from 3 pm to 9 pm. Though we are aware of the revenue contribution of excise we would not promote the sale of liquor. Rather, our stress would be laid on making the people aware of the negative sides of boozing, affecting health and the financial condition of the families. We are with the women of the society who are mainly at the receiving end of the liquor menace, ruining the peace of their families aside from ruining them financially,” he said, taking a moral high ground on the emotive matter against the backdrop of a fierce controversy raging in the state over the relocation of the booze vends displaced by the Supreme Court ruling from the outer edges of the national and state highways.
The CM also said that his government would come down heavily on the spurious liquor trade through suitably amending the Excise Act, making it more difficult for such traders to get released after being arrested while taking advantage of the lacuna existing in the present form of the act. However, in the same breath, he said that they are not for total prohibition unlike Bihar where the consumption is going on, making a mockery of the much-hyped prohibition. “Besides, it is adversely impacting the development of the state with the industrialists based in the state shifting their important meetings either to Ranchi or Banaras. We also remember the fiasco witnessed in Haryana where the government had to take a u- turn, withdrawing the prohibition imposed earlier in the wake of the collective outrage. Uttarakhand is a state where tourism is the fulcrum of its economy. We cannot and should not stop the tourists from coming here from across the country and abroad to enjoy their stay in the ways they like. In short, we are not for prohibition. We are rather for raising awareness among the people of the ill-effects that boozing brings,” he said.
The CM also vowed to curb the land mafias with a heavy hand, saying that his government would stop the common people from being duped in the name of registration and mutation. “It is a common knowledge that the ordinary people buying lands are being duped by the land mafias and their gangs with impunity. Things are such that they are being forced to register their lands thrice or more. We are mulling over bringing a law that would stop the malpractice once and for all. The prevailing system would be overhauled and the records of the lands to be registered would be thoroughly searched,” Rawat said.
Spelling out his Government’s mining policy, CM said that they would increase the volume of the revenue to be earned through mining from the current Rs 285 crore to at least Rs 1000 crore. “However, we are ruthless on illegal mining. It is being stopped with the stone crushers being confiscated. Those still left out would be stopped in the coming days with the departments concerned being directed to go for physical inspection,” he added.
CM also said that his government would take measures to curb the tendency of tax evasion. “We are for increasing our income without burdening the common people more. But we would not spare the tax dodgers. Recently, I met the sales tax minister and also the officials of the department. The department officials told me that they have unearthed tax dodging to the tune Rs 1.31 crore in just three days,” he said.
Taking about the plight of the families living sans electricity, CM said that the number of such wretched families is a whopping1.35 lakh spread across the state. “I have fixed a target to the department concerned to electrify these villages either through solar or hydel power by December 2017. Besides, I am vowing to make Uttarakhand a state where there would be no trace of illiteracy by 2019. This aside, we would see to it that there is no family without a roof over their heads by 2022,” CM said.
Stressing on exploring newer avenues for employment generation, CM said that they have decided to connect production of the pirule or pine needles to be had from the pine trees with MNREGA. “Pirule can be used in producing papers and making bags. Its promotion would see many people engaged in it to earn living. Besides, it would also save our forests from being burnt with the pirule being highly inflammatory,” he said.
He further said that his government would promote walnut cultivation on a large scale across the state. “The character of the lands known for apple cultivation changing fast thanks to the changes occurring in environment, we are for replacing apple cultivation with walnut cultivation. As there is no serious work done on it so far in the state, we would bring plants from abroad. Two farms, one each Choubatia in Ranikhet and Magra of Tehri district, would come up soon and they would be developed as model farms,” he said.
Dwelling on the char dham yatra, he said that they are ensuring that the roads leading to the char dhams are free from potholes. “Besides, all steps are being taken to make sure that the pilgrims do not face any hassle in course of the pilgrimage. Trained police personnel would be deployed along the routes to ensure security of the pilgrims. In short, they must be enabled to yearn to return on the pilgrimage next season,” he added.