BJP regime diverted JJM funds to rest houses, says Agnihotri

Himachal Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Wednesday informed the House that Rs 37.58 crore from the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was spent on constructing 19 rest houses in Dharampur and Seraj Assembly segments of Mandi district during the previous BJP regime, despite there being no provision for such works under the scheme.

Replying to a query by Dharampur MLA Chander Shekhar, Agnihotri, who also holds the Irrigation and Public Health portfolio, said 12 rest houses costing Rs 26.11 crore were built in Dharampur and seven in Seraj at a cost of Rs 11.47 crore. He added that the Centre has made it clear that the amount spent on these rest houses will have to be borne by the state government, as the works were not part of the approved JJM framework.

He further said work on two of these rest houses remains incomplete. In addition, the government is spending Rs 1.42 crore on maintenance and staff for these 19 facilities in Dharampur and Seraj alone. Agnihotri told the House that henceforth, no rest house would be constructed anywhere in the state without prior Cabinet approval.

Providing details on fund allocation, the Deputy Chief Minister said Rs 6,395 crore was sanctioned to Himachal Pradesh under the JJM. Of this, Rs 5,167 crore has been released by the Centre, while Rs 1,227 crore remains pending. He noted that the state has already completed works worth Rs 600 crore from its own resources under the mission and is awaiting reimbursement from the Centre.

A total of 1,747 schemes were sanctioned under the JJM in the state, out of which work is still in progress on 1,100 schemes. In Dharampur constituency alone, schemes worth Rs 1,441 crore were approved. Of these, works amounting to Rs 603 crore have been completed, while 56 schemes worth Rs 849 crore remain incomplete. Agnihotri said the government is in continuous dialogue with the Centre and expressed hope that the pending Rs 849 crore would be sanctioned soon.

He alleged that the previous BJP government had written to the Government of India claiming that the JJM in Himachal was complete, anticipating release of the entire sanctioned amount. However, a subsequent survey conducted by the Centre, reportedly due to dissatisfaction with implementation across states, led to the withholding of the remaining Rs 1,227 crore, he added.