Uttaranchal to include Haridwar

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 13. The new state of Uttaranchal, to be carved out of the hill regions of Uttar Pradesh, is to include the disputed areas of Udhamsingh Nagar and Haridwar district.

Although the details will be known officially only when the Bill is circulated among MPs on May 15, a senior Cabinet Minister today confirmed that the Cabinet has given approval to the inclusion of both these areas in the new state.

The last Vajpayee Government saw the Uttaranchal Bill virtually stalled by the Akali Dal, which threatened to quit the Government on the Udhamsingh Nagar issue.

Several Akali leaders had huge farms in the district and were afraid that a new state would legislate to impose land ceiling laws. With the Akalis having lost their clout after their 1999 Lok Sabha electoral debacle, the BJP has been able to get its own way.

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