No development in HP in three years: Dhumal

Hamirpur, Dec 15 (UNI) Alleging that development work in Himachal Pradesh had come to a standstill, former Chief Minister P K Dhumal today claimed the government had failed in getting funds for development from the Centre during the last three years.

Talking to reporters here, he said the state had so far received a sum of Rs five crore only as against Rs 4,400 promised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to the state last year.

Mr Dhumal said this was proof of the state government's lack clout with the Central Government, which was maintaining distance from the Himachal government.

The appointment of an outsider as Director (Personal) in the Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation (NJPC) instead of an IAS officer from Himachal cadre was another instance of the present government's failure to put its view across to the Centre, he added.

Referring to a recent letter from the Centre for allocating hydel projects in Himachal, he said the state government would from now onwards, be eligible for allocating projects below 50 MW, while the Centre alone would allocate hydel projects over 50 MW.

In future, all hydel projects above 50 MW would require the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment's clearance, he said quoting a letter to the Himachal Government from the Centre.

He said all objections raised by the state government in this respect had been set aside by the central government, which would allocate hydel projects in the state from now onwards.

It had also decided to do away with the practice of public hearings in villages that were likely to be affected by the hydel projects to prevent any delay in executing the projects, he said.

Accusing the chief minister of misleading people on the percentage of power being received from the hydel projects, he said the state was not receiving 30 per cent power from any project in the state.

''The central government had yet not issued any such letter and the chief minister was misleading the people'' he said.

The government had also failed in getting adequate relief for losses suffered to the crops in the state during the natural calamities, Mr Dhumal said.

The Centre had returned the reports submitted by various state government departments on the losses suffered by them due to natural calamities since the reports were contradictory, he said.

He also lamented at the manner in which construction was being carried out in the Vidhan Sabha building at Tapovan in Kangra district adding that the injuries suffered by a few labourers yesterday was a case in point.

UNI AS PB HT1858