Govt yet to put Rs20-crore skill centre in Una to use

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, September 18

The BJP government, even two years after coming to power, has failed to figure out how to use the Rs 20-crore skill development centre building lying in disuse. The building was constructed more than two years ago in the Haroli Assembly segment of Una district during the stint of the previous Congress government.

The building brought up using funds from construction workers’ welfare board, is lying unutilised. More than Rs 20 crore that were meant for the welfare of workers in the state were spent on the building construction. However, the Department of Industries as well as the state government have failed to put the building to use.

Interestingly, despite that the building has not been put to use, more investment in the form of installing ACs and other facilities in it is being made.

Minister for Industries Bikram Thakur was not available for comment despite repeated calls on his phone.

While in opposition, the BJP used to blame the previous Congress government for spending funds on buildings in Haroli Assembly constituency without proper planning. They also alleged misuse of funds for construction workers.

Thakur had earlier stated that his department would now see how this skill development centre could be put to use. “We will contact industrialists in the state to use the centre to train children of construction workers,” he had said. However, nothing has materialised in the past two years.

Sources in the Industries Department said though the building had been brought up, no provisions had been made for recruiting staff or getting material and machinery for running the centre.

The department is also not clear if it can use the building for training other students also or just the wards of construction workers.

Already a labour hostel and tourism reception centre brought up in Haroli constituency are lying unused.

According to the directions of the Union Government, 1 per cent construction cess was levied on all buildings coming up in the state. The fund goes to the construction workers’ welfare board that is supposed to be spent strictly only for their welfare.

Most of the construction workers working in Himachal Pradesh are from other states, mostly from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan or Nepal. The previous Congress government in order to provide benefit to its own citizens included construction workers under MGNREGA scheme.

The MGNREGA workers classified as construction workers were provided washing machines, sewing machines and other articles from the funds of construction workers’ welfare board.