CM’s visit reignites hope for stalled dev projects in Nurpur

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s first visit to the Nurpur Assembly constituency as CM, after two years in office, on Sunday has sparked renewed hope among residents for the resumption and completion of development projects that have been stalled since the change in government in December 2022.

The previous BJP government, under the leadership of former Forest Minister and local MLA Rakesh Pathania, initiated several key infrastructure projects in the region. However, after the Congress government came to power, many of these projects were halted due to alleged funding issues and administrative delays. The current BJP MLA, Ranbir Singh, has reportedly struggled to get these works back on track, leaving residents disillusioned.

Among the incomplete projects is the Rs 13 crore Mother and Child Hospital (MCH), which was inaugurated by Rakesh Pathania on October 8, 2022. Despite its state-of-the-art infrastructure, the hospital has remained non-functional for over two years due to the lack of basic amenities such as water and electricity connections. Adding to the frustration, some of the medical equipment has been shifted to another MCH in Una, rendering the facility useless for the residents of Nurpur.

Similarly, a Rs 2.84-crore shopping-cum-parking complex at Chogan, located along the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway, remains unfinished. About 80 per cent of the work on the project had been completed before construction came to an abrupt halt in January 2023, leaving the structure in limbo.

Another source of discontent among the locals is the underutilisation of the indoor stadium at Chogan, built at a cost of Rs 5.99 crore during the previous regime. While the facility has been handed over to a 10-member sub-divisional committee for maintenance, it has yet to serve its intended purpose. Adjacent to this is a Rs 7 crore synthetic track project, which also hangs in the balance due to lack of funding and attention from the current administration.

The story of neglect extends to the inter-state bus stand-cum-shopping complex, a project proposed under the Public-Private Partnership model by the Himachal Pradesh City Transport Management Development Authority. Despite the foundation stone being laid in November 2018 by then Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, the project has failed to take off.

Similarly, the construction of a new campus building for Government Arya College, which had been progressing rapidly under the previous government, has now come to a standstill. The lack of funds has also stalled the construction of a war memorial, a project announced in 2019 by the then Sainik Welfare Minister Mahinder Singh. Dishearteningly, not a single brick has been laid for this memorial, despite its symbolic importance.

Adding to the residents’ grievances is the incomplete sewerage project in Nurpur, which has been a source of frustration for over 18 years. The foundation stone for the project was laid in April 2007 by then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, with an initial deadline of four years. However, the project has become a mockery, with work grinding to a halt once again in December 2022.

The residents of Nurpur, burdened by these unfulfilled promises, have now appealed to CM Sukhu to allocate adequate funds and prioritise the completion of these stalled projects. They have also requested the restoration of the circle office of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL), which was shut down two years ago.

The CM’s visit has reignited hope, but it remains to be seen whether it translates into tangible action for the people of this neglected constituency.