Govt offices may be shifted to decongest Shimla, says Sukhu

Shimla, August 29

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said the government was contemplating shifting some of the government offices to other parts of the state to decongest the state capital.

Sukhu said this while replying to a question of Jwalamukhi MLA Sanjay Rattan during the Question Hour in the Vidhan Sabha today. “We are considering shifting some of the offices from here as this will not just reduce traffic congestion and ease pressure but will also solve the problem of paucity of government accommodation here,” he added.

The Chief Minister said government accommodation at many district headquarters was lying vacant which can be put to use for offices that will be shifted out. “There is acute shortage of land for constructing accommodation for employees here in Shimla. Moreover, the 47 government houses that are vacant here are not worth living,” he said.

Sukhu said that the government would earmark houses for ministers and senior officials as many of them have still not been given accommodation. “The High Court has earmarked accommodation and the government will ask them to give their vacant houses to the state government,” he added.

Replying to a query by Vinod Kumar and Vipin Parmar, the Chief Minister assured the House that the government would neither close down nor change the names of schemes launched in the memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “At present, the work is underway for the construction of three Atal Vidyalayas and a budgetary allocation of Rs 70 crore has been made fro them,” he added.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today said that Rs 2,531 crore for 12 channeling projects in Himachal were pending with the Centre. Replying to a question of Bhoranj MLA Suresh Kumar, he said that the Centre had approved the projects but the budgetary allocation was still awaited. “The Rs 157.6 crore Seer Khad channeling project was sent to the Central Government for approval in 2020 but no money had been allocated so far,” he added.

Agnihotri said Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur should use his good office and influence in Delhi to get the monetary allocation for the channeling projects.