Shimla Development Plan: Congress, BJP vie to take credit

Shimla, January 11

The Congress and the BJP are vying to take credit for paving the way for construction in green, core areas and the Shimla Planning Area (SPA) following the Supreme Court today giving the go-ahead to the Shimla Development Plan 2041.

Former Town and Country Planning Minister Suresh Bhardwaj, while addressing mediapersons here to take credit, said, “The Jai Ram Thakur government had prepared the SDP, which has now got the green light from the Supreme Court. The apex court has rejected the 2017 decision of the National Green Tribunal. The people of Shimla city were in dire need of these orders for which I thank the Supreme Court.”

Naresh Chauhan, Principal Advisor (Media) to the Chief Minister, while addressing mediapersons, said that it was due to the concerted efforts of the present Congress government that the case was effectively pleaded before the Supreme Court against the blanket ban on development activities and construction in Shimla.

He said, “Today, the Supreme Court gave the much-needed relief to the people of Shimla to carry out development activities, which were in limbo for the past many years.”