Centre forms committee on Uttarakhand reconstruction; PM Manmohan Singh to head the board

NEW DELHI: A clear indication that the Centre is not going to leave reconstruction efforts in Uttarakhand completely in the hands of the state authorities, the government on Wednesday set up a Cabinet committee to guide the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the state. With general elections scheduled next year, the Congress is keen to avoid charges of mismanagement and corruption in reconstruction in the state that sends five members to the Lok Sabha.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will head the committee, which includes key ministries of health, rural development, defence, home, agriculture, finance, telecom, roads, housing and water resources. Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahaguna and vice chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority Shashidhar Reddy are permanent invitees to the committee.

The Cabinet oversight is in part an effort to ensure that the huge fund inflow into the Congress-ruled state is utilised in a proper manner. The committee will "take decisions as may be required".

On July 1, Bahaguna announced that a Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority would be set up. The announcement came following prodding by the Centre, Congress general secretary Ambika Soni and rural development minister Jairam Ramesh were both present at the time of the announcement.

The authority will have specialists - geologists, glaciologists - and will deal with housing and planning in disaster-hit areas. The intent was to plan for the challenges of the next 100 years. While the effort was described by rural development minister Jairam Ramesh as a "progressive and significant step", it hasn't inspired much confidence. This is in part as reports and plans by expert panels in the past have not resulted in concrete action. The Centre's involvement through a high powered Cabinet committee could help address some of the misgivings.