Stone for state’s biggest cow sanctuary laid

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 10

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the biggest cow sanctuary at Kotla Barog in Pachad area of Sirmaur district, which will provide shelter to 500 cows and will be developed over an area 109 bighas.

During his day-long tour of the Pachad Assembly segment in Sirmaur district, Thakur addressed a public meeting at Rajgarh. “This cow sanctuary, to be run by the State Animal Husbandry Department, would be the biggest in Himachal and would be constructed at a cost of Rs 1.52 crore,” he stated.

He said the state government had decided to levy cess of Re 1 per bottle of liquor for construction and maintenance of gau sadans. In addition, 15 per cent would be used from the offering from different temple in the state for this purpose.

The Chief Minister said he was working with a single objective to make Himachal Pradesh the front runner state of the country. “Being a hill state, the development demands and needs of Himachal Pradesh are quite different from other states and it is with the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national BJP president Amit Shah that the state is surging ahead,” he remarked.

“It is very hard for the opposition to digest the fact that I am the Chief Minister and they keep criticizing me for the Delhi trips. However, grant of projects worth Rs 4,365 crores has stunned them into silence,” he said. He said in the first budget presented by him, 30 new schemes for betterment and welfare of the people of the state. He said 10 irrigation and drinking water supply schemes were being executed by spending an amount of Rs 15 crore in Pachhad constituency. In order to redress the drinking water problem of the people of Rajgarh area, a Rs 6.19-crore ambitious lift water supply scheme was being executed.

Member of Parliament Virender Kashyap said it was strange that the Opposition leaders were asking the members of Parliament from the state to give the report card of their achievements, while they themselves had done nothing for the state. MLA Suresh Kashyap thanked the Chief Minister for organising state level Van Mahatosav in his constituency.