5 yrs after deadline, 20% work yet to be done on Palampur Circuit House

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, April 4

The construction of the building of the Palampur Circuit House has not been completed in the past seven years. Virbadhra Singh, the then Chief Minister, had laid the foundation stone of the building in 2017 to be built at a cost Rs 6.50 crore and the construction work was started immediately.

Initially, the building was to be completed before April 2019 but seven years had passed and there was no possibility that it would be completed soon. At present, 80 per cent work on the building has been completed but an approach road is yet to be laid.

The state government had sanctioned the project but did not provide adequate funds. Also, both successive BJP and Congress governments in the state in the past seven years did not take steps for its early completion.

Information gathered by The Tribune reveals that the BJP came to power in the state in 2017 and its government stopped the allocation of funds for this “non-priority project”. In the past one year, only Rs 1 crore was released for the project while Rs 2 crore was required. While Rs 5.5 crore has been spent the project, additional Rs 1 crore is needed for the finishing work, construction of roads and the purchase of furniture, etc.

A senior official of the Public Works Department (PWD) says that the construction work has been delayed because of some changes made in the design of a few suits of the Circuit House. He adds that he hopes that the building will be completed soon and will be handed over to the state government for inauguration after the parliamentary elections.

Project to cost Rs 6.5 cr

• Virbadhra Singh, a former Chief Minister, had laid the foundation stone of the building of the Circuit House in Palampur in 2017 to be built at a cost Rs 6.50 crore and the construction work was started immediately
• At present, 80 per cent work on the building has been completed but an approach road is yet to be laid
• While Rs 5.5 crore has been spent the project, additional Rs 1 crore is needed for the finishing work, construction of roads and the purchase of furniture

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