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Draw action plans, Khanduri tells civic bodies

Staff Correspondent

"Forget the past and redefine yourselves as service providers and not mere tax collectors"

DEHRA DUN: The Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri has called upon the civic bodies to draw up time bound action plans to fulfill the needs of the ever increasing urban population.

Addressing chairpersons of municipal bodies from across the State here, Mr Khanduri wanted the urban civic bodies to forget the past and redefine themselves as service providers and not mere tax collectors. He wanted the chairpersons to take the councillors and the local population into confidence and seek funds from outside sources to augment the limited grants they could get from the Government.

Earlier talking to newspersons, Mr Khanduri felt that the issues pending with Uttar Pradesh would be resolved soon as the people of that State had elected a very stable Government.

"I am sure Mayawati will be too willing to walk the extra mile to resolve the long pending issues with Uttarakhand," he said.

Admitting that Uttar Pradesh had proved a severe setback for the party Mr Khanduri said that it was time for the Bharatiya Janata Party to introspect and draw a road map for regaining the lost position before elections come up in different States.

About the Congress threat of a state-wide stir against the new liquor trade directives, Mr Khanduri said that he was against a tour operator working as a goldsmith.

"The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam and the Ex Servicemen Welfare Corporation are all meant for tourism promotion and technical duties and not act as liquor traders.

The recent orders will reduce the profits made out of liquor by these corporations but they can try to make ten times more profit by doing their real work dedicatedly', he said.

To a query Mr Khanduri said that the development authorities should act in the interest of the people. "If they want to be a profit making agency it would be better if they convert themselves into business organisations and pay taxes."

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Draw action plans, Khanduri tells civic bodies

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