Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu accused the previous BJP government of giving away 5,000 bighas of land worth hundreds of crores to big industrial houses for just Rs 1.12 crore. He said this was done under the name of customised packages. Sukhu was in Baddi, where he laid the foundation stones of 12 development projects worth Rs 383 crore.
He distributed relief of Rs 17.62 lakh to 18 families affected by disasters and handed cheques of Rs 17.03 lakh to 15 beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen. He also gave nutrition kits to three tuberculosis patients under the Tuberculosis Eradication Programme.
Addressing the gathering in Baddi, Sukhu sharply criticised the previous BJP government for turning a blind eye to corruption. He said “The stamp duty was waived and provisions were made to supply electricity at Rs 3 per unit for five years besides providing free water under this package. As long as I am Chief Minister, I will not allow the state’s assets to be plundered. We are custodians of Himachal Pradesh’s resources.”
He further said “In a bid to safeguard the interests of Himachal, we returned Rs 30 crore received from the Centre for bulk drug park and decided to develop it on our own.”
Sukhu added that the BJP’s social media cell was targeting him because of his strict actions against corruption. He also spoke about various developmental works his government has undertaken in the health and education sectors.
He said he had repeatedly offered to accompany all seven BJP MPs to request financial aid from the Centre for disaster-hit families. “The Prime Minister himself had announced a package of Rs 1,500 crore but we have not received the funds yet and we were helping the families with our own resources,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that Baddi’s infrastructure must match the needs of its growing population. He announced a new Public Works Department division, the upgrade of the Civil Hospital, and the construction of the SDM office, a sports stadium and a modern bus stand.
He also announced that schools in Baddi, Barotiwala and Chandi would shift to the CBSE curriculum from the next academic session.
MLA Doon Ram Kumar said development works worth Rs 475 crore were already in progress. He said the upcoming 50-bed hospital in Baddi was a major achievement.
Also Read: After 45 years, missing Himachal man returns home
Follow us
