Khanduri wants centre to extend package till '17

In an apparent move to mount pressure on the Opposition Congress ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister B C Khanduri has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to extend industrial package till 2017 and provide adequate compensation for the scrapped Palamaneri and Bhaironghati hydro projects.

Maj Gen (retd)Khanduri met Singh last evening and discussed at length the wide-ranging issues concerning the hill state, an official release said. Most of the demands were those which had already been raked up by Khanduri’s predecessor Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank during the past two years, sources added.

Khanduri, however, could not meet Union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who was away from the national capital, they said.

After the meeting with the PM, state BJP spokesman Satish Lakhera said the UPA government must fulfil all the outstanding demands of Uttarakhand which was under financial stress from the burgeoning non-plan expenditures.

After taking up the issue with Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee recently, Khanduri again sought the intervention of Singh in the matter related to pension liabilities of Rs 1545.98 crore to be paid by Uttar Pradesh to Uttarakhand.

Stating that Uttarakhand should be treated at par with north-eastern states, Khanduri said central funding should be in the ratio of 90:10 and that too on a non-lapsable basis.

Khanduri also urged the Prime Minister to introduce new agriculture schemes for Uttarakhand in the 12th five year Plan. He also reiterated the demand for the extension of industrial package till 31 March, 2017. In this regard, Khanduri recalled that assemblies of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh had passed unanimous resolutions earlier to extend the industrial package.

Pointing out that road, rail and air infrastructure is inadequate in Uttarakhand, the CM urged the prime minister for special “big ticket” projects for all weather roads, bridges, air-strips and helipads.

Khanduri also urged the prime minister that the centre should bear the entire cost of development of new railway lines in Uttarakhand. He drew attention of prime minister towards the scrapping of hydro power projects and the loss incurred thereon in the state.

Khanduri also appealed to the Prime Minister that techno-economic clearance of a number of hydro projects pending with Central Electricity Authority and Central Water Commission be expedited speedily.