Shimla, Sept 10,
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly witnessed a heated debate on Tuesday as Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri refuted allegations leveled against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu regarding the influence exerted on a land acquisition process for an Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) project.
The accusations, made by BJP MLA Ashish Sharma, were dismissed by Agnihotri as baseless and lacking any factual foundation.
Addressing the Assembly, Agnihotri detailed the timeline of the land acquisition process for the IPH project in Nadaun, a piece of land that belongs to the Chief Minister’s family. According to Agnihotri, negotiations for the land acquisition commenced on March 22, 2021, with the relevant correspondence and valuation being completed by March 29, 2022. He emphasized that the confusion surrounding the speech made by members of the Assembly the previous day was unfounded.
Agnihotri pointed out that the IPH project, which was part of the Hargahr Nal Sai Jal Scheme, was inaugurated by former minister Vikram Singh during the previous BJP government’s tenure. It was only in November 2021 that the department realized the land required for the project was privately owned by the Chief Minister’s family, contrary to earlier beliefs that it was government land. The land acquisition process was subsequently approved on April 28, 2022. However, due to the enforcement of the code of conduct, the release of the payment was delayed until after the Assembly elections in 2023.
The Deputy CM asserted that the entire project was executed under the previous government and that no evidence of undue influence or favoritism was found in the records. He argued that the value of the land, while significant, should not be a point of contention and should be accepted as a fair transaction.
In response to the allegations, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also addressed the Assembly, stating that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had initiated a probe into the matter. He assured the House that all relevant records would be made available to the central agencies conducting the investigation. Sukhu clarified that the percolation tank built in 2021 by the previous government on the land in question was valued at around one crore, but the department had only paid Rs 18 lakh. He further stated that if the department no longer required the land, his family was prepared to refund the payment.
Former minister Vikram Singh supported the Deputy CM’s defence, confirming that the scheme was indeed implemented during the BJP’s rule and denying any favouritism in the process. Industry Minister Harsh Vardhan also weighed in, addressing unrelated allegations made by Ashish Sharma regarding mining activities in the Beas and Satluj river basins.
Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania stated that all the remarks made by Ashish Sharma against the Chief Minister regarding the influence on the land acquisition process would be expunged from the Assembly record at the request of the Chief Minister.
Adding to the debate, Industry Minister Harsh Vardhan addressed unrelated allegations made by Ashish Sharma regarding mining activities. Vardhan clarified that a complete ban on lifting material from river beds was imposed from June to September, but crushers that had collected material before the ban were allowed to operate. He refuted Sharma’s claim that only one person was permitted to run crushers, stating that permissions and licenses were granted to 28 operators—23 in Kangra and 4 in Hamirpur.
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