NEW DELHI: Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda last week conceded the long pending demand of the hill people by announcing the formation of a separate state of Uttarakhand and said that it would be carved out of Uttar Pradesh soon. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort to mark the 50th year of the country’s independence, Mr. Deve Gowda said “Our Government has taken an important decision to fulfill this demand and will shortly introduce a bill for the formation of Uttarakhand State.”
The bill, he said, needs to be ratified by the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. This process will set in motion after the ensuing Assembly elections in the State expected to be held sometime next month. “We believe that this decision of the Government will fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people of Uttarakhand,” Mr. Deve Gowda said. Mr. Gowda has declared that India would not compromise its national security at any cost and would resist any attempt by nuclear superpowers to impose a discriminating test ban treaty.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 21, 1996
