Uttarakhand to hold assembly session in a tent

For the first time Uttarakhand’s Vidhan Sabha session will be held outside Dehradun in a tent at Gairsain in Chamoli district of the hill state.

"We are convening next assembly session at Gairsain from June 9," Chief Minister Harish Rawat said on Wednesday.

The brief session, spread over three days, will be held at the Bhararisain area of Gairsain where the new Vidhan Sabha building is coming up. The foundation for the building was laid by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna in January 2013, although work is yet to commence and is to be undertaken by National Buildings Construction Corporation.

Bahuguna had held a meeting of his cabinet at Gairsain. He said the new building would host at least one session of the assembly every year.

Gairsain has a large section of people who fought for statehood in favour of making it as the hill state's permanent capital.

The chief minister said he would hold at least five cabinet meetings outside Dehradun covering all the 13 districts. "We can hold a cabinet meeting covering the issues of two districts at a time," said Rawat.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was the first chief minister who held a cabinet meeting outside Dehradun, at Haridwar, to raise the issue of a clean Ganga.

Image: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat.