Land acquisition for railway line, NHAI projects underway: Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh on Tuesday refuted allegations levelled by BJP leaders JP Nadda and Ajay Tamta that the Himachal Government was not cooperating in the implementation of central projects.

“The work for land acquisition for a railway line expansion and on NHAI projects is underway. During the previous BJP government headed by Jai Ram Thakur, Rs 1,800 crore given by the Central Government for various road widening projects had remained in the treasury for three years,” he alleged.

Sukhu said that since the formation of the Congress government in the state, he had personally monitored and expedited the land acquisition work to ensure there was no delay. “It has become the second nature of the BJP to create a false narrative to mislead the public,” he alleged.

He hit back at JP Nadda over his statements on the medical devices park project. “The double-engine government failed to protect the interests of Himachal Pradesh as it gave 1,500 bighas for Rs 12 lakh, subsidised power and provided free water for 10 years,” he said. “We have returned Rs 25 crore with interest to the Central Government, so Nadda is just trying to mislead people,” he added.