‘I provided funds for better road connectivity and water supply’: Pauri MP Khanduri
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Former Uttarakhand chief minister BC Khanduri is the Member of Parliament from Pauri Lok Sabha seat.
lok sabha elections Updated: Mar 04, 2019 16:28 ISTMajor General (retired) BC Khanduri is the sitting member of parliament from the Pauri Lok Sabha constituency. A former chief minister of Uttarakhand, BJP’s Khanduri defeated his nearest rival Harak Singh Rawat of Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Excerpts of his interview with HT:
Your constituency is facing some major problems. What have you done to resolve them?
I have utilised most of MPLAD (Member of Parliament Local Area Development) funds for the benefit of the constituency. Drinking water supply, migration and unemployment are some of the key issues that haven’t inflicted only Pauri, but almost the entire state. I had provided funds for better road connectivity, water supply and other works. As far as unemployment and migration are concerned, the state government is taking care of them.
The issues ailing Uttarakhand have been the same from the start, claim villagers. Is it true?
Uttarakhand is a new state. When I was the chief minister, we laid stress on better connectivity. And we had been successful in doing so. Change does not happen overnight. Compared to Uttarakhand of 2000, when it was carved out of UP, Uttarakhand of today has progressed a lot.
Then why is Pauri district the worst hit due to migration?
There are several reasons behind migration that happened all over the state. The government is, however, working in restoring health services, providing better livestock opportunities and safeguarding the interest of farmers through schemes. The government has also established a commission which is working towards reverse migration.
First Published: Mar 04, 2019 16:26 IST