Himachal to take back Dhaulasiidh project from SJVN for Rs 800 Crore: Sukhu
Himachal to take back Dhaulasiidh project from SJVN for Rs 800 Crore: Sukhu
Hamirpur, Sept 18,
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said the state government would take back the Dhaulasiidh hydroelectric project from SJVN Limited by paying around Rs 800 crore, asserting that the government would not compromise on the state’s rights.
Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for the Rs 31.19-crore Sadhora Pattan bridge over the Beas river in Nadaun, Sukhu said the government was committed to protecting Himachal Pradesh’s interests.
The 250-metre-long double-lane motorable bridge with a footpath will connect Dobad Kalan village in Nadaun with Silh village in the Jawalamukhi area of Kangra district. The bridge is expected to benefit more than 30,000 people across 15 gram panchayats in Nadaun and Jawalamukhi, besides residents of the Sujanpur area.
Sukhu said the bridge would provide the shortest road link between Nadaun and Jawalamukhi, reducing travel distance and improving the movement of people and goods. He said better connectivity would also strengthen economic and social activity in the region.
‘Medical college not BJP’s contribution’
The Chief Minister also hit out at BJP leader and Hamirpur MP Anurag Singh Thakur over claims regarding the construction of Hamirpur Medical College.
Sukhu said the medical college was approved during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and its notification was issued on January 22, 2014. The Centre had sanctioned Rs 180 crore for the project at that time, he said.
He claimed that forest clearance for the project was secured during his tenure as an MLA and asserted that the medical college would become operational within two months.
“Had a Chief Minister not come from Hamirpur, only four walls of the medical college would have been standing,” Sukhu said, claiming that the state government had spent Rs 450 crore from its own budget on the project.
He also said a cancer institute, described as the first of its kind in North India, was being established at the medical college with Japanese assistance at an estimated cost of around Rs 500 crore. Another Rs 150 crore has been allocated for a super-speciality block, he added.
Focus on healthcare and education
Sukhu said the state government was working to strengthen healthcare facilities in government institutions. Automated laboratories, on the lines of AIIMS Delhi, are being established in medical colleges at an estimated cost of around Rs 28 crore each, with a capacity to conduct up to 1,200 tests from a single sample, he said.
The Chief Minister said the government was working to develop Kangra as the state’s “Tourism Capital” and Hamirpur as its “Education Capital”. An Allied Healthcare College is being established at Nadaun, while Himachal’s first science college is being set up in Hamirpur with a provision of Rs 100 crore.
He said an Excellence Centre for Sports was also being established at Nadaun to promote sports tourism and would be inaugurated in October.
Riverfront, bridge and milk plant projects
Sukhu said a Sukhashraya complex was being developed at Luthan in the Jawalamukhi constituency at a cost of Rs 150 crore. A Rs 400-crore riverfront project is also being developed along the Beas in Nadaun, where a Beas Aarti would be introduced.
He said another bridge would soon be constructed near Amtar and efforts were underway to convert roads across the district into double-lane roads.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the government’s support for natural farming and dairy farmers. He said the state was procuring cow milk at Rs 61 per litre and buffalo milk at Rs 71 per litre, with payments being transferred directly to farmers’ accounts.
A modern milk processing plant is being established at Dagwar at a cost of Rs 300 crore and is expected to become operational by the end of this year, he said.
Attack on BJP
Sukhu accused the previous BJP government of neglecting Hamirpur and alleged that the state’s resources had been misused and irregularities occurred in the name of various schemes.
Referring to disaster relief, he said more than 23,000 houses had been completely damaged during disasters and the state government had increased financial assistance to affected families from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 8.5 lakh from its own resources.
He also accused the BJP of attempting to topple the elected government and said his government had the support of both the people and God.
Sukhu announced Rs 2 crore for construction of a panchayat building and community centre in the local panchayat.
Jawalamukhi MLA Sanjay Rattan described the foundation stone for the Sadhora Pattan bridge as a historic occasion, saying the project fulfilled a long-standing demand of residents of Nadaun and Jawalamukhi.
MLA Kamlesh Thakur, Mandal president Captain Prithvi Chand, Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board chairman Nardev Singh Kanwar, HP Other Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation vice-chairman Dr Mohan Lal and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
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The HimachalScape Bureau comprises seasoned journalists from Himachal Pradesh with over 25 years of experience in leading media conglomerates such as The Times of India and United News of India. Known for their in-depth regional insights, the team brings credible, research-driven, and balanced reportage on Himachal’s socio-political and developmental landscape.
