Steel factory in HP soon, says Paswan

Nahan, Mar 14 (UNI) Union Steel, Fertiliser and Chemicals Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said that a steel factory will be set up in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh.

''The Ministry will soon be writing a letter to state government for providing suitable land for setting up the factory at Nahan,'' he told reporters here.

Mr Paswan was here to mourn the sudden and untimely death of party legislator Sadanand Chauhan's son Pratik Chauhan on March 6.

The steel industry, costing about Rs 100 crore, would not only provide employment to local youth but would also improve the economy of the district, he said.

Observing that a rail link was essential for ferrying raw material and finished goods to and fro between Nahan and the rest of the country, the Union Minister said he would take up the issue with the Prime Minister.

''A rail link would help in carrying material to and fro at an economical rate and must be constructed at an earliest,'' he said.

He added the Lok Jan Shakti Party would contest Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in alliance with other secular minded parties and prevent the BJP from returning to power in that state.

The party would also have an alliance with the Congress Party for the February 2008 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.

Mr Paswan said it was the moral responsibility of the ruling party at the Centre to ensure essential commodities were made available to the common people at reasonable rates.

He was also of the opinion that results of Assembly elections in Punjab and Uttaranchal would have no impact on the Himachal elections next year.

UNI