Set up on 11 Jan 2001, the Dixit Commission (Justice, Retd Virendra Dixit) was constituted to decide the permanent capital for Uttarakhand after the then Nityanand Swami’s interim government failed to reach a decision.
After almost 8 years and as many as 11 extensions, Dixit Commission finally submitted its report on 17 Aug 2008 which was tabled in Uttarakhand State Assembly on 13 Jul 2009.
The Dixit commission report provides a comparative feasibility study of five sites for the proposed permanent capital viz Dehradun, Gairsain, Kashipur, Ramnagar and Rishikesh. The report is based on a study conducted by the School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi. The parameters that have been used for the study of the location included geographic conditions, populations, accessibility, transportation system, forest area, proneness to earthquakes or landslides and security.
The commission appears to arrive at the inference that Dehradun is the most suitable location, ignoring the popular sentiments that Gairsain be declared the permanent capital. The report says that centralization of population, appropriate land distribution, relatively less vulnerability to landslides and earthquakes, easy transportation and connectivity, less possibility of deforestation and less pressure on agricultural land, security from international border, proximity to national capital and scope for expanding public facilities made Dehradun a preferred location.
Gairsain has been found less viable for the location of permanent capital. The reasons cited being poor connectivity, distance from the national capital, insufficient land for future development, insufficient water resources, steep slopes, proneness to landslides and earthquakes, difficult climate, proximity to flood area, non-centralization of population and possible threat from the international border.
Choosing a permanent capital is politically sensitive issue attached to the sentiments of the Uttarakhand people too. We all are aware that no govt is going to jump into fire by shifting the capital to Gairsain for vote bank politics. You might not be knowing the the 3 non-hill districts of Uttarakhand ie Haridwar, Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar alone will represent 30 seats in the assembly as per the new delimitation policy.
On a different note: The demand for Uttarakhand state has its origin in a demand for a separate Hill State. After the delimitation of legislative assembly seats comes into effect, the hill state will loose hill representation in the Legislative Assembly. With the new distribution of seats coming into effect, the three non-hill districts viz Haridwar, Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar will represent 30 seats in the assembly while the other 10 districts will represent the other 40 seats.
| District | Current Seats | New Seats | Change |
| Almora | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Bageshwar | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Chamoli | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Champawat | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Dehradun | 9 | 10 | +1 |
| Haridwar | 9 | 11 | +2 |
| Nainital | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Pauri | 8 | 6 | -2 |
| Pithoragarh | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Rudraprayag | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Tehri | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Udham Singh Nagar | 7 | 9 | +2 |
| Uttarkashi | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Total Seats | 70 | 70 |


