Centre-aided projects fail to take off in Baddi

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, December 16

The fate of Centre-aided projects in the state’s industrial hub — Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) — is in limbo as several of them have failed to see the light of day despite adequate funding.

While the investors lament lack of infrastructure, projects executed with their participation have run into rough weather after they withdrew mid-way, thus putting the state government in a jeopardy.

The Centre had sanctioned Rs 8.09 crore for setting up a pharma testing lab with the state-of-the-art facilities at Jharmajri to facilitate the pharmaceutical industry. Civil structural work was completed with the technical guidance of the National Institute for Pharma Education and Research, Mohali, for Rs 1.02 crore several years ago, but the lab has not been set up till now. Though earlier, the Himachal Drug Manufacturers’ Association was supposed to run it, they withdrew from the project later.

Similar is the case of the Baddi Trade Centre (BTC) that was to be completed at a cost of Rs 14.48 crore — Rs 5.40 crore from the Centre’s funds — on a 33-11 bigha land at Bhatoli Kalan. Despite the work having been completed in February 2015, it has been non-operational till now as the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association had expressed inability to run it. The unused BTC building has also started eroding.

Despite several efforts by the officials of the Industries Department, neither could the pharma lab become functional, nor could the BTC.

Unwarranted expenditure was incurred on constructing an additional parking at Sun City Road for Rs 1.23 crore by the BBN Development Authority in October 2016, but it has not been auctioned and is lying unused.

While the Comptroller and Auditor General has taken stern view of the unfruitful expenditure worth crores incurred on the BTC as well as the parking, it reflected poor planning by the officials concerned in executing the projects.

KC Chaman, Chief Executive Officer, BBN Development Authority, said efforts were on to make the BTC functional and put the parking to use as crores have been invested.

Hanging fire 

• Pharma testing lab with state-of-the-art facilities at Jharmajri. The Centre had sanctioned Rs 8.09 crore for setting up the lab.
• Baddi Trade Centre (BTC), which was completed at a cost of Rs 14.48 crore.
• Parking facility on Sun City Road developed for Rs 1.23 crore