CS attends Standing Committee meeting of Central Zonal Council in Lucknow
By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 30 Aug: Chief Secretary Radha Raturi participated in the 16th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Zonal Council organised by the Government of India in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Various topics related to the development of the state of Uttarakhand were also discussed at the meeting in addition to division of assets between UP and Uttarakhand.
It may be recalled that the issue related to the division of assets has been brought up several times by senior officials of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, but even after so much time since the formation of Uttarakhand state, it has not yet been fully given many of the assets of the state in possession of UP. A final decision has also not been reached in respect of division of certain assets which Uttarakhand hopes to get from UP. The Chief Secretary is understood to have discussed this matter in the Central Zonal Council’s Standing Committee meeting held in Lucknow today.
The government hopes that after this matter being brought before the Central Zonal Council, the state will be able to get back an amount of Rs 800 crores. Interestingly, though, the state is yet to receive this amount related to Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation Ltd. The forest corporation has already paid income tax to the tune of Rs 98 crores on this. It had so happened that when the Income Tax officials approached the UP government claiming income tax on the amount of Rs 800 crores, they were told that this income belongs to Uttarakhand even when in reality, UP is yet to transfer this due to the state. When the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation was asked by the Income Tax Department to pay this amount, the income tax to the tune of Rs 98 crores was paid by the forest corporation without verification whether it had actually received this income from UP or not. Now the state is seeking the transfer of Rs 800 crores from UP.
One point also understood to have been discussed by Uttarakhand Government in the Central Regional Council is related to the Doon Valley Eco Sensitive Zone, in which Uttarakhand wants special concessions in the Doon Valley region, which is the area between the Ganga and the Yamuna. Earlier, in the notification regarding eco-sensitive, many types of restrictions were imposed in this area, in which some relaxations were also given from time to time, but the government wants permission to set up small industries as well, by bringing this issue in the meeting of the Central Regional Council, which do not cause much damage to the environment.
