Bittu’s claim Centre gave more funds to HP false: Vikramaditya

Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh today hit back at Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu for allegedly making misleading and factually wrong statements that the Railway Ministry had given additional funds to Himachal.

Vikramaditya, while addressing mediapersons here, said that Bittu had made baseless claims because he probably had very little knowledge about his ministry, which he got recently. “It is wrong to do politics on development issues. Rather, I feel that even the Opposition should see how through long-term planning we can overcome fiscal deficit that Himachal is facing,” he added.

He said that Bittu’s claims that the Centre had given Rs 11,806 crore additional budget to Himachal was totally wrong. “So far, the Railway Ministry in its pink book, where the budgetary allocations are reflected, is not showing this amount. In the past also, the capital outlay shown for the past three years was Rs 3,867 crore but the Railway Ministry spent only Rs 1,991 crore in Himachal,” he added.

Vikramaditya said, “The Bhanupalli rail line was to be constructed at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore, including Rs 70 crore for land acquisition. The work was to be undertaken through 75 per cent grant from the Central Government but as the revised cost of the project has touched Rs 7,000 crore, it has refused to enhance the Rs 70 crore allocation for land acquisition.” As such, Himachal would have to bear Rs 1,000 crore additional cost on this account, he added.

Vikramaditya said that till March 2023, the Himachal Government had spent Rs 300 crore on land acquisition. “The Himachal Government is committed to the expansion of the railway network. We live in cooperative federalism and Himachal being a small state, it has been getting compensatory grants from the Centre in the ratio of 90:10 or 80:20,” he added.

He admitted that Himachal had received Rs 54,662 crore in the past 10 years under various centrally-sponsored schemes. “It is not just Himachal, but every state gets this grant, which we have received. This is not a favour done to us but it is our legitimate right,” he added.

He hoped that Himachal would get financial assistance from the Central Government over and above the budgetary allocation. “I have complete regard for the Governor, who has said that Himachal should have good relations with the Centre, so I will like to say it has to be a two-way channel and Himachal alone cannot do it,” he added.