Palampur’s Circuit House nears completion after 8 years of delay

Despite the passage of eight years, the state government has yet to complete the construction of the multi-storey circuit house building in Palampur, a significant project for the region. While the structure is nearly finished, additional funding is required to complete the remaining work and purchase furniture.

The foundation stone for the building was laid by former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in 2017 and construction began soon after. Originally slated for completion within two years, it has now been eight years and the building is still not operational.

During the five-year tenure of BJP rule from 2017 to 2022, Palampur was represented by opposition MLA Ashish Butail, which led to little progress on the timely completion of the project. The previous government essentially put the project on hold. The current government, which has been in power for the past two years, has also neglected the project. In this period, insufficient funds were sanctioned, further delaying its completion.

BM Thakur, Superintending Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD), told The Tribune that significant progress had been made in the past two years, with a large part of the building completed. The PWD has already placed orders for the necessary furniture. He hopes that the Circuit House will be operational within the next three months.