Recounting details of his meeting with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a clutch of other Union Ministers in Delhi on Tuesday, Chief Minister Harish Rawat said on Wednesday that he had a detailed and long discussion with the PM and others during which he had raised many developmental matters concerning the State.
“We intimated the PM that the State has incurred a loss of `1,000 crore. It would further soar up as the final estimate would come. Besides, I appeal to him to release `500 crore as immediate relief to the State in the aftermath of the rain-triggered disaster. I told him that 400 villages are located in the disaster -prone areas. We want the Centre to approve our demand of being given right to swap these lands with the forest lands so that the villages facing danger can be relocated. We need from the Centre a package of `10,000 crore. I asked him to constitute a high powered committee led by a cabinet secretary because it is beyond the power of the state government,” CM said.
“Besides, I informed the PM that the Union Ministry of road and transport (MoRT) has approved our DPR for the up-gradation of road and its stability. We need funds from the Centre to execute the projects. We owe `1800 crore according to the approved DPR. If things are cleared we would be able to start building roads before the beginning of next year’s Char Dham Yatra,” CM said .
He also met the Union information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and asked him to have the budget for the broadband connectivity in the Panchayats released. “I told him that things are not being expedited as we are yet to receive the greater amount. The amount we have received stands at `1.25 crore out of `16 crore. I also told him that as part of common service centre, we have been running Devbhoomi Service Centre. We need assistance from the Centre so that we can expand it in other parts of the state,” Harish Rawat said.
“I also met the Union minister for telecommunication Manoj Sinha and asked him to include Uttarakashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithorgarh and Bageshwar districts in the first phase of NOFN (National Optical Fibre Network). As the communication snaps in the hills following heavy downpour we badly need the scheme. However, we cannot bear the costs on our own as this involves huge amount of money,” CM said.
He also had met the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. “The Centre has given approval in principle for lower power solar battery operated mobile towers. 49 ITBP and SSP check posts are proposed to be equipped with this technology. If things are expedited the people from the remote areas who cannot use mobile due to electricity problem would be benefitted. For modernization of police, I sought `82.43 crore under SPA (special plan assistance),” Harish Rawat said.
He said he had also asked the Centre to expedite the construction of Tanakpur-Jauljivi motor road, which has been approved under Border Road Development-envisaged programme. “Works on building the stretch to Pancheshwar are being delayed. If we could construct road between Kali river and Tanakpur it would be great relief to the border area people,” CM said.