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Upper House approves Uttaranchal bill

Parliament on Thursday approved creation of the hill state of Uttaranchal to be carved out of Uttar Pradesh with the Rajya Sabha approving the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2000, by a voice vote.

The bill was approved by the Lok Sabha last week.

Piloting the bill, Home Minister L K Advani said the creation of the new state was justified as UP being a large state, the people of the hills had been facing numerous practical difficulties.

He made it clear that there had been no dispute on including Udhamsingh Nagar in the proposed new state.

He said that none of the constituents of the National Democratic Alliance had opposed the inclusion of Udhamsingh Nagar. The opposition became known only after the bill was moved in Parliament.

He said that Udhamsingh Nagar had been part of Nainital district and hence its inclusion in the new state was natural. If the district was retained in UP, the Sikh community would have become an insignificant minority. In the new state, they would become a significant minority, he said.

He admitted that there has been some dispute about Hardwar as some parts of the district fell in the Mela area.

The House discussed the bill the whole day with almost all the parties extending their support to it. Some individual members opposed certain clauses of the bill but did not prevent its final passage.

UNI

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