Jai Ram Thakur: Industry hit hard by Congress govt’s wrong policies

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur today said that wrong policies of the state government were virtually pushing the industry to shut down operations and move out of the state.

Thakur, in a statement issued here, said that right from the day one of the formation of the Congress government in Himachal, anti-industry decisions were taken. “Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the ministers must clarify as to why such decisions are being taken that will leave the industry with no other option but to shut down and move out of the state,” he added.

Thakur said that the exodus of industry from Himachal would hit the state’s economy, which was already reeling under a severe financial crisis. “Government-backed mafias are threatening industrialists, who have conveyed this to the Chief Minister and the Industries Minister and sought protection. The industrialists are feeling insecure in the industrial area where the law and order situation has been deteriorating with each passing day,” the former Chief Minister alleged.

He said that the government was burdening the industry by raising power and water tariffs, which would force them to exit the state. “The flight of the industry from Himachal will hit employment avenues that the industry offers, making the unemployment scenario even worse,” he claimed.