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Bhararisain

Bhararisain (also spelt Bhararisaen or Bharari Sain) is a town located in the Chamoli district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Situated on the Gairsain plateau in the Kumaon–Garhwal frontier region of the Himalayas, it has been designated as the summer capital of Uttarakhand and houses a Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) complex used for the state's summer sessions.

Key facts

Name Bhararisain
State Uttarakhand
District Chamoli
Region Garhwal Himalayas
Status Summer capital of Uttarakhand
Nearest town Gairsain

Geography

Bhararisain lies on a high ridge above the town of Gairsain, in the central Himalayan belt. The location was chosen partly because of its elevated, central position within Uttarakhand, roughly equidistant from the Kumaon and Garhwal divisions, a factor long cited by proponents of moving the state capital from Dehradun to a hill location.

Background

The demand for a permanent capital in the hill regions of Uttarakhand dates back to the statehood movement of the 1990s, which led to the formation of the state in November 2000 after its separation from Uttar Pradesh. Activists and political leaders associated with the Uttarakhand movement had long advocated Gairsain as a symbolic and practical capital, owing to its hill setting and central location.

Successive state governments responded by constructing a Vidhan Sabha building and associated administrative facilities at Bhararisain, on the ridge above Gairsain. The complex has since been used to convene sessions of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly.

Status as summer capital

In March 2020, the Uttarakhand government announced that Gairsain (with its assembly complex at Bhararisain) would be designated the summer capital of the state. The decision was formalised through a notification by the state government, making Uttarakhand one of the Indian states with a separate summer capital, alongside Jammu and Kashmir (in its earlier form) and Himachal Pradesh.

Significance

The designation of Bhararisain as the summer capital is regarded as a significant political acknowledgement of the demands of the Uttarakhand statehood movement, which sought greater administrative attention to the hill districts. The presence of the Vidhan Sabha complex has also been promoted as a means of encouraging infrastructure development, tourism, and economic activity in the surrounding area of Chamoli district.

References