Previous BJP govts ‘sold’ hydel projects on easy terms to SJVNL, says Himachal CM Sukhu
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The Newz Radar
SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday (January 10, 2024) alleged that the previous BJP government didn’t keep the state’s interests in mind when it “sold on easy terms” various hydropower projects, including Luhri, Sunni and Dhaula-Siddh, to Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigan Limited (SJVNL).
At a function in his home constituency Nadaun, the CM said that the central government undertakings were opposing the water cess as levied by the state government on its hydel projects. “About Rs 4,300 crore of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) is lying with the Central Government for many years and is not being released,” he said.
CM Sukhu laid the foundation stone of four projects in Nadaun Assembly constituency of Hamirpur district. He laid the stone of a project aimed at supplying 24-hour drinking water facility to Nadaun city that would be equipped with state-of-the-art UV filter technology. Benefiting the residents of all the seven wards of Nadaun Nagar Panchayat, this project is to cost Rs 44.66 crore and will be completed before summers this year. He also laid the foundation stone of a hotel of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation to be built in Nadaun with an outlay of Rs 43.06 crore. It is to be completed by July 2025.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of the rest house of Jal Shakti Department at Gagaal, which would cost Rs 6.54 crore, and Rs 14.02 crore Model Career and Skill Centre at Jalari, which would be made functional by June 2025.
Talking to the media on the sidelines of the function, the Chief Minister said that the BJP failed in its role of constructive opposition and indulging in cheap politics ignoring the interests of the people of the state. He said that none of the state BJP leaders or the BJP MPs met Prime Minister Narendra Modi or other central leaders to seek financial assistance for the disaster-hit Himachal Pradesh.
“Not only this, the state government has sent claims of around Rs 10,000 crore to the central government, which were supposed to be provided in the month of December, but the BJP leaders are creating hurdles in getting the amount released. I appeal to the BJP leaders not to make false claims of getting special financial assistance from the Centre to misguide the people and also not to create hurdles in the way of the government getting financial assistance from the Centre,” said CM Sukhu. “If the Central Government has given any special economic package to Himachal Pradesh in connection with the disaster, then the BJP leaders should provide details of the same,” he said. He said that when a resolution was brought in the Assembly to declare the natural calamity in Himachal Pradesh as ‘national disaster’, the BJP MLAs opposed it, ignoring the suffering of the people of the state.
On the question of allotment of departments to the newly appointed ministers, Sukhu said that the ministers from whom the departments have been taken would be given the newly created departments. He said that some new departments as Infrastructure Department, Artificial Intelligence would be created in times to come and will be allotted to the ministers. Earlier, the Chief Minister heard the grievances of the people at Sera rest house and directed the officials to resolve them soon.
MLA Sanjay Rattan, Kangra Co-operative Primary Agriculture and Rural Development Bank president Ram Chandra Pathania, Coordinator of State Skill Development Corporation Atul Karohta, Congress leader Surinder Mankotia, Nadaun Block Congress president Captain Prithvi Chand (retd), and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
