Congress fails to make use of industrial package: Dhumal

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Una, Sep 4 (UNI) Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today blamed the present Congress Government in the state for failing to make the maximum out of the ''special industrial package'' given to hill states by the Union government.

Addressing a gathering at Ambota village in Gagret constituency of the district, he spelt out the comparative industrial figures of the three northern hill states which he said were given in response to his question in Lok Sabha.

Mr Dhumal said, as against an investment of over Rs 19,000 crore and Rs 3,400 crore in Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, the total industrial investment in Himachal Pradesh was just over Rs 2,000 crore in the same period.

Again, the numbe of persons employed in these induistrial units was 1.44 lakh in Uttarakhand, 72,000 in J and K and only 37,893 in Himachal Pradesh.

He accused the state government of misleading the people of the state on the actual investment in the industrial sector and the number of persons employed in these industries.

A number of polluting industries were working in the state and the government was turning a blind eye towards them, he said.

Mr Dhumal, MP, said he had taken up the issue of the Railways in the Parliament and submitted a 33 point charter to Railways Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav.

The issues, included speeding up of the extension work on the only broadgauge line in the state from Chururu-Takarla in Una district to Talwara so that it connects with the Jalandhar-Jammu broadgauge section, he said.

Further, he has asked for setting up a major Railways workshop in the state, extending the resevation and ticket booking counter timings from the present six hours to 12 hours duration, starting a special train in Himachal Pradesh like the ''Palace on Wheels in Rajasthan'' and the conversion of Pathankot-Jogindernagar and Kalka-Parwanoo narrowgauge sections to broadgauge.

Reacting to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's statement that the Congress would hold parallel rallies against the BJP, he said his party was ready to face the challenge.

He added that the people of the state would not get carried away by the ''cheap publicity'' stunts and gimmicks of the ruling party.

''The people have already made up their mind and the Chief Minister could see the change in the mood of the people,'' he claimed.

UNI

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