Unavailability of land hits Kangra projects hard

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, August 21

Non-availability of land and forest clearances continue to be bottlenecks in the completion of various development projects in Kangra district. Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) and Dharamsala-McLeodganj and Himani-Chamunda ropeways are the three major projects in Kangra district that have failed to see the light of the day. Besides, the efforts of the HIMUDA to bring up housing projects and a proposed IT park have also remained on paper.

The CUHP is a project that involves an investment of about Rs 500 crore. It was sanctioned and started in Kangra district in the year 2010. Seven years have gone by since the project was started but till date even the land for it has not been finalised.

The Dharamsala-McLoedganj ropeway is an important project that can help de-congest traffic to the most popular tourist destination of the district. The project was allocated to M/S TRIL, Urban Transport Private Ltd Company. However, the Ministry for Environment and Forest had put on condition on use of forest land for the project. It had asked the government to provide 2.5 hectare land that can be diverted to the Forest Department before the land earmarked could be diverted to the ropeway project. The government officials were busy finding 2.5 hectare land which could be diverted to the Forest Department for forestry purpose. The construction of the project is yet to take off.

The Himani-Chamunda ropeway project was allocated to Usha Brackel Company in the year 2016. However, sources here said that the project was still struck due to lack of environmental clearances. The project is intended at developing Himani Chamunda temple located at a height of 12,000 feet from the sea level at par with the Vashino Devl temple shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. The sources here said that the project is as good as abandoned as even the case for its environment clearance has not processed.

The only project that was completed this year in Kangra district was the Rajiv Gandhi Government Engineering College that was inaugurated by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. The project has been brought at a cost of about Rs 50 crores.

Much talked of Smart City project for Dharamsala is yet to take off. The Smart City Private Ltd. Company formed to execute the project got about 200 crores this year for developmental projects in Dharamsala city. This included Rs 183 crores given by the Union government, while the rest was given by the state government. However, the Smart City project is being delayed due to inadequate staff and non-appointment of project consultants who are to execute it.

The present government had also announced and started seven new degree colleges in Kangra district in the last two year. However, the colleges are being run in two to three rooms taken from local primary schools.