Cabinet sub-committee debates leasing idle tourism assets for revenue generation

The Resource Mobilisation Cabinet Sub-committee is exploring the possibility of generating the much-needed revenue by leasing dysfunctional tourism assets, besides developing new tourism areas.

Many such areas for resource mobilisation and cutting wasteful expenditure were discussed at a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee here today.

The sub-committee also explored the possibility of replacing the HRTC fleet with good luxury buses, which are most comfortable. The other members of the sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri are Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh and Town and Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani.

The Agriculture Minister said the Secretary (Finance) presented a road map before the sub-committee. “The report of the sub-committee will be placed before the Cabinet for approval. The sub-committee will suggest short and long-term measures to improve the financial position and meet our day-to-day expenditure and bridge the deficit gap,” he added.

He said that some other issues like the promotion of housing and the extension of concessions on power and water tariffs in industrial areas to investors were discussed. “We will urge the Central Government to revise the yardstick for the allocation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to Himachal, as it not being a big manufacturing state, we are getting a very small share,” he added.

The Agriculture Minister said, “We are looking at areas of revenue generation to improve the financial health of the state. The sub-committee will suggest short and long-term measures to improve the financial position and bridge the deficit gap.” He added that it was due to financial mismanagement and overdraft by the previous BJP government that the Congress government inherited huge liabilities like arrears payable to serving and retired employees.

He said that the short-term measures included how to get unspent funds from the boards and corporations into mainstream for rationalisation. The sub-committee also looked at the issue of rationalisation in some of the boards and corporations and curbing wasteful expenditure.

The sub-committee also looked at the issue of the auction of uneconomical routes being operated by the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), besides reduction in the HRTC bus fleet. “Now, the mode of transport has changed after the construction of four-lane roads and national highways, so people want to travel in luxury buses. We are exploring the possibility of replacing the HRTC fleet with good luxury buses, which are most comfortable,” Chander Kumar said.