Poll-bound Fatehpur gets Rs 43 cr projects

Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, July 31

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur laid the foundation stones of nine development projects worth Rs 43 crore in the Fatehpur Assembly constituency, where byelection is due, in Kangra district today.

Ticket aspirants displayed their show of strength in the presence of the Chief Minister. Former MP Kirpal Parmar and BJP leader Baldev Thakur came to the rally venue along with their supporters, who raised slogans in their support.

Thakur, while addressing a rally at Wazir Ram Singh Stadium, announced the opening of a sub-tehsil at Rae, upgrade of Government High School at Barot to Government Senior Secondary School, channelling of the Nagoh and Kundal khuds, Rs 10 lakh for a retaining wall at Guru Ravi Dass temple complex, patwar circle at Nangal, starting of MA (Hindi) and M.Com classes in Wizar Singh Degree College at Dehri (Fatehpur) and the upgrade of the college to the postgraduate level.

The Chief Minister announced Rs 2 crore for link roads and other works in the area. He also announced the construction of a Shaheed Smarak at Fatehpur, upgrade of a police post at Fatehpur to a police station, Rs 10 lakh for the construction of a Press Club and making the Community Health Centre at Rae functional round the clock.

Thakur said that Himachal Pradesh is one of the best performing states in Covid management. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other states had appreciated the steps taken by the state government to check the spread of the virus, he added.

He said that the Congress had been in power for about 50 years at the Centre. There were only 50 ventilators in the state when the pandemic broke out. “I took up the matter with the Prime Minister and 500 new ventilators were provided under the PMCAREs to the state immediately. Today, there are over 700 fully-functional ventilators in various hospitals of the state,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that there was only one oxygen plant in the state earlier but 10 plants were functional now and 28 more were being established.

He said that 3.20 lakh gas connections had been provided to eligible families under the Grehini Suvidha Yojana, 1.70 lakh families had benefited under the HIMCARE Yojana and Rs 3,000 per month was being provided to families having critically-ill patients.

Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania said that the people of Fatehpur should support the policies and programmes of the government, which had ensured balanced and equitable development of the state. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Sarveen Chaudhary and Industries Minister Bikram Singh were also present.