HP allocates Rs 20 crore for industrial development

Shimla, July 23 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Government has allocated a sum of Rs 20 crore for the creation of necessary infrastructure in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority, state Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today.

Presiding over the high power committee meeting of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority (BBNDA) here, he said his government had created BBNDA for the planned development of the industrial areas.

Mr Singh said the Authority has been constituted under his Chairmanship with a senior IAS officer being its Chief Executive Officer, based at Nalagarh, to review its development.

A master plan has been prepared for the development of the industrial area and initially a sum of Rs 20 crore has been allotted for improving roads, creation of basic civic amenities and to protecting the environment of the area, he said.

He said out of the total amount, developmental projects of Rs 12 crore had already been allotted and were in different stages of execution.

With the completion of the ongoing projects, the face of the entire industrial area would change, he said, adding that the unsystematic and haphazard growth of the industrial areas was being checked.

Referring to the improvement and maintenance of the injore-Nalagarh, he said the issue had been raised with the Haryana Government who were asked to take up the project on priority, besides repairing another road linking Chandigarh with Nalagarh.

The widening and improvement of both the connecting roads, would allow the industrial areas to be accessible from both the sides and save the precious time of the commuters.

The work on the widening of the internal roads within the jurisdiction of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority was also in progress, Mr Singh added.

Reiterating his government's resolve to protect the environment, he said his government had initiated a number of projects to protect its ecology.

The Chief Minister said all polluting, high water consuming and low employment generating industrial units had been placed in the negative list of the government and were not being permitted to set up their units in the state.

UNI