U'khand BJP leaders meet PM, demand Prez Rule in the state

A delegation of BJP leaders from Uttarakhand today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded imposition of President's Rule in the flood-ravaged state on the grounds that the Congress government there had failed to deliver.

The delegation led by former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and comprising Tehri Garhwal MP Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah among others met Singh for 30 minutes and apprised him of the situation on the ground in the flood-hit state.

'We informed the Prime Minister that the government in Uttarakhand had completely failed to deliver during the crisis in the state. We demanded that since the government had failed, President's Rule should be imposed till rescue and relief operations are completed,' Pokhriyal told PTI.

The delegation alleged that ministers and the Chief Minister were not present in the affected areas to help the stranded people.

BJP has also demanded a white paper on how many people have died in the disaster, how many are still missing, the number of animals which died and the loss of property.

Pokhriyal said the Prime Minister had himself asked him to come over and meet him to discuss the issue.

Other suggestions from the delegation included stationing a unit of National Disaster Management Authority in the state on a permanent basis, installation of Doppler radars to get prior warning of cloud burst and forming a Himalaya Development Authority for the region.

The former Chief Minister said he broached the issue of declaring the disaster a national calamity but the Prime Minister assured him that all steps are being taken and there will be no shortcomings.

'He said he has formed a committee specifically to deal with the crisis and there will be no shortage of funds for relief and rehabilitation,' Pokhriyal said.

The BJP leaders also demanded that homes should be provided to the displaced people and adequate arrangements should be made for taking care of orphans.

'Uttarakhand is a border state and government should ensure that migration from the state does not take place,' Pokhriyal said.