Uttarakhand CM bats for area authority

Not many might have heard of Ghad, an area comprising a couple of blocks in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand. But Chief Minister Harish Rawat has started an experiment here.

Rawat has started a trial run to develop Ghad by setting an area development authority there. The district magistrate will be the chairman of the authority. “We are starting a new experiment through which we will set up an area development authority for Ghad. This area is economically backward and needs adequate attention on the agriculture front,” Rawat said.

Ghad consists of Bhagwanpur and Bhadrabaad blocks, where the water table is low.

The chief minister had committed Rs 5 crore for the development of Ghad.

But this is not the first time the state government had set up an area-based authority in the hill state. In Bhagirathi, Tehri, Gairsain and many other areas, the government had set up such authorities. In Tehri, however, there is no office or a government official to take care of development issues. But Rawat said: “Please give me time, I will do everything for that.”

Similarly, the government had used the Bhagirathi area development authority to convince the central government that it should cancel the notification for the eco-sensitive zone in the region in Uttarkashi district. The role of the Bhagirathi authority still remains only on paper.

The Doon Valley Special Area Development Authority (DVSADA), the nodal government agency for the development of Dehra Dun rural areas, has made no headway as far the development issues are concerned. Even after appointing a consultant for preparing a master plan, unplanned development continues unabated in the area, senior government officials said.  But Rawat said he will go ahead with his plan to set up more such authorities. “We are mulling such authority for the Yamuna valley too,” he said.