New Himalayan Project head office at Kangra or Solan

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, February 19

The Rs 700-crore New Mid Himalayan Project is likely to create a rift between the ministers and legislators of Kangra district and senior most officials of the Forest Department.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur during his winter sojourn in Kangra district had announced that the headquarters of the project would be at Dharamsala since about 70 per cent of its area of operation of was in Kangra, Chamba, Una, and Hamirpur districts. However, some of the senior most officials of the Forest Department were opposed to shifting of the head office of the project to Dharamsala.

The announcement by the Chief Minister to have the head office of the project at Dharamsala has also been removed from the official website.

The ministers and MLAs who held a meeting under the chairmanship of BJP MP from Kangra, Shanta Kumar at Dharamsala today said that they had learnt that some bureaucrats were trying to derail the move to have the office of new Mid Himalayan Project at Dharamsala. However, it is CM’s announcement. It is not the bureaucrats but the elected representatives who would take decision in this government.

Vipin Parmar, Minister for Health, said that since 70 per cent of the area of operation of project was in Kangra and its surrounding district the head office should be at Dharamsala. The announcement of the CM would be honoured. Even the senior most leader of the party, Shanta Kumar has also requested the Chief Minister to house the project head office at Dharamsala, he said.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Kishan Kapoor, who was also present, said there was no change in the decision of the government to house the head office of New Mid Hamalayan Project at Dharamsala. The head office would be at Dharamsala he said,

Sources said the issue of housing of the project head office at Dharamsala was also discussed in the meeting headed by Shanta Kumar that was attended by all BJP MLAs and ministers from the Kangra parliamentary constituency.

The sources here said the officials who were opposing the shifting of head office to Dharamsala were claiming office buildings already existed at Solan but new buildings would have to be set at Dharamsala. However, the Mid Himlayan project already has a regional office in Dharamsala that can easily be converted into office of director.

Though the Mid Himalayan project phase 1 was executed mostly in Kangra and its adjoining projects, entire powers for the projects were centralised at its head office in Solan and Shimla.