BJP, Oppn spar over Swan project

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 11

BJP and Opposition leaders sparred over the Swan channelisation project in Una district during Question Hour today.

CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri raised a question regarding the delayed finances for the project.

IPH Minister Mohinder Singh, while replying to the query, said the Union Ministry for Water Resources had released Rs 50 crore for the project and it would be completed by March 2020.

Agnihotri said the Swan phase-III project worth Rs 922 crore was sanctioned during the UPA-II regime in 2013. That time, Rs 460 crore was released and spent on the channelisation of river tributaries. However, after the NDA government took over, the grant for the project dried. He alleged that the BJP MP from Hamirpur got the finances of the project stalled. Mohinder Singh refuted the allegations and asked him to prove these. Mukesh alleged that other projects like AIIMS, IIIT in Una were also stalled.

Rakesh Pathania countered Agnihotri over the allegations and there were heated exchanges between both leaders. Both warned each other against doing ‘badmashi’.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, replying on the query of Agnihotri, said it seemed that efforts were not made by the previous government to get the funds released from the Centre.

“Sending letters were not enough to get the projects. You have to follow up. After coming to power, I have personally followed up the Swan project and the funds have been sanctioned,” the CM said. In response to a query from Surinder Singh Thakur, MLA, Kullu, the Minister for Social Justice and Cooperatives said there were 83 cooperative societies where management committees had been disbanded and administrators appointed.

In response to a query from Jawahar Thakur from Darang, the government said the Jan Manch programme began in June and 22,840 complaints had been received of which 16,735 resolved and 4,105 were pending.

Independent MLA from Dehra Hoshiar Singh had raised a query regarding the monopoly being exercised by truck unions and societies in the state. He alleged that despite a High Court order, the truck unions were charging ‘gunda tax’ from industrialists and were not allowing trucks from other states to ply. Minister for Transport Govind Thakur said information was being collected on the issue.

QUESTION HOUR

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The Swan phase-III project worth Rs 922 cr was sanctioned during the UPA-II in 2013. That time, Rs 460 crore was released and spent on the work. However, after the NDA government took over, the grant for the project dried. The BJP MP from Hamirpur got the finances of the project stalled, Mukesh said.