Dhumal welcomes announcement of IIT and central university

Shimla, Oct 3 (UNI) Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister P K Dhumal today welcomed the Centre's decision to set up an IIT and a central university in the state and said these institutions should be set up either in Mandi, Una or Kangra.

Though the setting up of an IIT and central university in the state was welcome, but the announcement that the 63 km long Bhanupalli-Bilaspur Berri broad gauge railway line would be completed in two years was nothing more than a joke, he said in a release here.

He said the project, which was languishing for the last 25 years, was unlikely to be completed in two years from the day the work begins.

Since it took the railways 34 years to complete 34 km long Nangal-Talwara railway line, the foundation stone for which was laid in 1973, it looks nothing more than a dream to lay 64 km long line in two years, he said.

The BJP leader said while the railways have made no provision in this year's budget for the railway line and the state government has not taken over any land, the announcement that the project would be completed in two years was playing with the emotions of the people.

The people of the state who were suffering from high price rise, huge unemployment, corruption, neoptism and regionalism were not entertained by the false promises of the state government and had decided to root out this government, he said.

Referring to the irregularities in almost all appointments since the Congress Government had come to power four and a half years ago, he said the Virbhadra Singh Government had surpassed all the successive governments in handing jobs to people from a particular region and party.

Mr Dhumal said the mask of the party, which had promised to provide jobs to at least one member of each family in the state, had come off and the people had seen its real face.

UNI