Providing amenities to villages govt priority: Speaker
Ensuring all basic amenities such as roads, healthcare, education and drinking water to every individual in rural and remote areas of the state is the government’s priority, Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said on Thursday.
He was addressing a public meeting after performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a 2.1-km road in Balera gram panchayat in the Bhattiyat Assembly constituency.
“The road, being built at a cost of Rs 85.62 lakh by the Public Works Department, would connect Bhulki Nala to Panjehi Nala and benefit nearly 500 residents of Thatti and Panjehi Nala villages,” he said.
The Speaker said under the leadership of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Himachal Pradesh government was committed to the all-round development of the state and the welfare of the poor.
He said constructing a 7-km tunnel between Chowari and Chamba was a government priority. “For this, Rs 4 crore has been allocated to prepare a feasibility report and the tender process will be initiated soon. The government plans to build the tunnel on a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) basis and discussions are under way with several financial institutions,” he said.
Pathania said under CRIF (Central Road Infrastructure Fund), a road from Sinhuta to Lahru is being upgraded at a cost of Rs 52.82 crore. Additionally, eight road projects in the Chowari division, costing nearly Rs 34 crore, are being built through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) funding, while Rs 7 crore is being spent on road maintenance under economic renewal.
The Speaker said while the work on 21 new roads in the Bhattiyat Assembly constituency began last year, work on 121 new roads would commence this financial year.
The government plans to gradually bring all rural roads under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department to ensure proper maintenance and repair.
The Speaker also listened to the grievances of people and instructed officials concerned to address the issues on priority.
