Deputy Chief Whip and Congress MLA from Himachal Pradesh, Kewal Singh Pathania, called on Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Friday.
He raised several issues related to the state, with special focus on the Shahpur constituency of Kangra district, which has a significant population of serving and ex-servicemen of the Indian Army.
He apprised the Defence Minister that Subedar Pawan Singh Jarial of Shahpur, who recently laid down his life during Operation Sindoor, was the first martyr of the region in this operation. He requested the sanctioning of a War Memorial at Shahpur to honour his contribution. The state government has already identified and allotted land for the same, and early approval from the Defence Ministry would help in its timely construction.
The Deputy Chief Whip also stressed the urgent need for better facilities for ex-servicemen in the area. At present, the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) is being run from the state government hospital building in Shahpur, which is facing acute space constraints.
He informed that the state government has already transferred 00-24-00 hectares of land to the Defence Ministry for the establishment of a type-C ECHS polyclinic, a CSD canteen, and a Sainik rest house at Shahpur. However, the financial sanction from the Ministry of Defence is still awaited.
In addition, he raised the issue of 5.91 acres of land situated in the heart of Shahpur town, which is owned by the Central Government but presently in the possession of various state government departments. This land, which serves as the only available ground for local schools and the town, is not being optimally utilised due to the dispute over ownership and possession.
The state government has proposed an exchange of this land parcel under the existing policy framework of the Defence Ministry and requested his intervention for an early resolution.
He urged the Defence Minister to instruct the officials concerned to expedite necessary approvals and sanctions for these long-pending projects in the interest of ex-servicemen and the local community of Shahpur.
The Defence Minister assured that all the genuine demands of the state would be considered sympathetically and every possible support would be extended to the state.
Follow us
