New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay Wednesday said that India should seek expertise from friendly countries in planning and executing reconstruction work in flood-devastated Uttarakhand.
“We should not feel shy to seek expert help from friendly countries like Japan, Germany and Israel to have the gigantic work planned and started competently,” said a statement issued on behalf of Vijay, an MP from Uttarakhand.
Vijay urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the centre should undertake reconstruction of the Uttarakhand and set up a Group of Ministers to ensure that it is taken in right earnest.
He said that the state government and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) lacked both resources and the expertise in carrying out reconstruction work.
The statement said that Vijay had spoken to the prime minister and Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth about the ongoing rescue and relief operations and commencing reconstruction work before winter sets in Uttarakhand.
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1. PURA MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT DESCRIBED:- Topography of Uttarakhand (UK) has a very peculiar landscape, ¾ of the area of the state is mountainous and interspersed with fast flowing rivers, rivulets and nullas. Ecologically, it is extremely sensitive and fragile zone due to deforestation, frequent land slides, carbon fall out of fossile fuels. Agriculture is hardly a source of living needs to be augmented through other means. Out migration of youth is a serious problem and adds to environmental degradation since local manpower is not available to constantly maintain the upper crust of the land to prevent soil erosion from beginning. High cost of transportation and minimum damage to the earth warrants to follow Providing Urban Facilities in Rural Areas ( PURA) model of development, to make the hill areas a vibrant and self- sustaining economy by constructing suitable infrastructure, are some of the challenges the policy planners are required to grapple in developing hill areas of UK, as a viable economy and integrate the state with the main stream of the national life.
2.BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE LACKING:- Uneconomic holding of some farm land in the hill region makes us to search for other venues of income generation for the people.The hill region of UK has potential for development of tourism;religious, medical, leisure. Its air condition type climate makes it ideal location for soft goods, educational institutes. Orchards, horticulture, flouriculture and development of medicinal plants, dairy farming are other places where employment could be generated.
3.TYPE OF INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIRED:-
(a) ALL INDIA BROAD GAUGE RAILWAY LINE UPTO BLOCK HQs:- All India broad gauge railway connectivity up to the last border out post is to be the basis upon which entire transportation system to be built. Road and air transport system is to supplement and complement but cannot substitute the Railways. CNG/ LPG pipeline system to prevent environmental degradation and to support all who venture into UK is a necessity, to accompany the railway line. Block HQs are treated as unit of development therefore, the railway net work must provide connectivity upto that point. Bridges and tunnels may become necessary.
(b) INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT PITHORAGARH:- To open the hill economy.
(c) AIIMS AT PITHORAGARH:- It will take medical care forward to poor who can not afford to come to plains and get treated.Medical services to give boost to Dr. Devi Shetty’s concept of Walmartisation of health services under army supervision and through AIIMS.
(d) STATE CAPITAL AT GAIRSAIN:- Gairsain is centrally located and administering the state from here will be cost effective and better managed as demonstrated by recent tragedy. As backward area integration, IIT located at Roorkee will have to be shifted to state capital, to enable people from humble back ground also to find their way into a prestigious institute, so will be the judiciary from Nainital.
(e) IIM KASHIPUR TO BE SHIFTED TO RANIKHET:- The institute was sanctioned for Kumaon region. Under backward area initiative Ranikhet is the heart of the Kumaon region therefore it must be relocated at that place.
(f) CONNECTIVITY FROM RAILWAY STATION TO THE LAST EDGE OF THE COUNTRY:- It must be by road, built by army. UttaraKhand Industrial Development Corporations( UKIDCs) are to be developed over unproductive land in the hill regions, preferably connected by rail, otherwise by road. At the railway station there is a need to have two ware housing; to be used one for PDS and another for the use by locals. Educational Institutes, Institutes of Higher Learning, Hostels, Post Office, Bank, Police Station, Municipal Corporation, Bus Stand , Taxi stand, Hospital, Market, PDS Establishment, etc. are to be within the UKIDCs.
4.ORGANISATION FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF UK: UTTARKHAND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY(UKDA)_- An apex organization like UKDA is required to be created to rebuild UK of our dreams, that is to say, of Providing Urban Facilities in Rural Areas(PURA), model as submitted with a code name –Strategic Action Plan SAP (JAGRITI). Its apex body be located near PMO Office in New Delhi and satellite office at GAIRSAIN to execute all 24 priorities of the plan.Its Delhi office has to be under the most revered leader and sons –of- the – soil- Shri HARISH RAWATJI and GAIRSAIN under his trusted lieutenant. Task is to get the help from all sources to build the infrastructure at the earliest as the government of the United States of America and organizations like UN,IMF,ADB and others have volunteered to come to the aid of India in general and UK in particular.
5.FAVORABLE POLITICAL SYNERGY AS ON DATE:- As on date, the political synergy is straight and un -disturbing, but what will emerge after the General Elections-2014 is difficult to predict at this stage, hence why delay? The CM be spared exclusively from the areas of ambit of UKDA function; so that he can devote totally with the tasks of relief, rescue and normal administration of the state. The CM could visit the site office of UKDA at GAIRSAIN, to be briefed and help removing bottle neck(s) in implementation of SAP-(JAGRITI), at regular intervals. Through the apex office at NCR NEW DELHI, the Honorable Prime Minister and Congress Chairperson could get the daily updates. Reconstruction if could be entrusted to UKDA only so that areas of responsibility , accountability , fund cum donations management, are clearly demarcated and co-ordinated and no two persons are doing the same work, is our humble submission. UKDA site office at GAIRSAIN will eventually be converted into the permanent capital of the state, that will boost the morale of the people who have lost so much in this tragedy.
6.We would feel grateful if helped in developing our state on these lines, through your good offices please.
Regards,
JC JOSHI, Lt.Col.(Retd),
Flat Number G-002, KEERTHI RESIDENCY,
# 68,3rd Main Road, MM Layout, KAVAL BYRASANDRA.
PO- R.T. Nagar,
BANGALORE-560032.
Mobile Number-7411944320.
EMAIL [email protected]