Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat informed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the possibility of Maoist activity rising in Uttarakhand following the earthquake in neighbouring Nepal. The CM discussed various issues related to State interest with Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday.
He told Singh that regarding the Uttarakhand police communication department, the State should be freed of the Rs13 crore spectrum charges (with delay charges) to be paid by the State Government to the Government of India.
The Union Telecommunication minister has also been requested for this but no reply has been received yet from the Government of India in this case. Rawat said that the spectrum is used for police wireless which is used for public security, disaster relief, pilgrimage season and at pilgrimage centres and fairs, adding that it was not used for any commercial purpose.
Hence, the Centre should not charge delay charges from Uttarakhand, stressed Rawat. He also demanded an increase in the fund provided by the Centre to Uttarakhand under the border area development programme.
This would help in mitigating the continued migration of people from the mountainous and border regions of the state. While pointing at the possibility for rise in Maoist activity in Uttarakhand following the temblor in Nepal, Rawat also demanded adequate grants from the Centre to the State for the Ardh Kumbh to be held at Haridwar in 2016.
The CM informed the Home minister that the Centre has to clear the balance of Rs6.14 to Uttarakhand under the 13th finance commission for the year 2014-15 but this has not been done yet. In addition to this, the Centre should also to give the remaining Rs1.44 crore to Uttarakhand incurred on the establishment of the Indian Reserve Battalion first and second.
The State Government has already provided the utilisation certificate for the expenditure to the Central Government. While discussing various issues with Singh, Rawat also mentioned that under the state police force modernisation scheme, a Rs5.20 crore action plan for 2015-16 has been prepared by the State and will be submitted to the Central Government soon. Singh assured the CM of proactive actions in State interest.