Post CM wife’s victory, Dehra in limelight

Tribune News Service

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Dharamsala, August 24

Once the backwaters of the state, the Dehra Assembly segment has gained political prominence after Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, won the Assembly byelection from the seat.

This was illustrated by the fact that the state-level Independence Day function was organised in the constituency last week. It was after 39 years that the state-level function was organised in Dehra. Last time the state Independence Day function was celebrated here was in 1985 when by Viplove Thakur, former president of the HPCC and Rajya Sabha member, represented the segment.

The accessibility of the Chief Minister and his wife Kamlesh Thakur has raised the hopes of Dehra residents regarding their long-pending development projects and issues. Both of them listened to the grievances of people separately at the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) rest house last week. The residents of Dehra rush to the Chief Minister and his wife in large numbers with applications whenever they visit the area. The residents are given a patient hearing by the Chief Minister’s wife and the team of officials accompanying her.

Sources said that most of the applications given by people to the Chief Minister’s wife were of transfers of government officials. The government employees are catching hold of their kith and kin from Dehra to get their transfer applications accepted. Though the transfers have been banned by the state government, people have hope that the Chief Minister, having power to condone the ban, will oblige them.

Kamlesh Thakur won the Assembly bypoll from Dehra on July 13. After winning the byelection, she went on a thanksgiving tour of the constituency. While expressing her gratitude to the people, she listened to their grievances patiently, giving them the hope that good days were there to stay.

Sources said that the Chief Minister and his team of officials have already started working on the demands of the people of the Dehra constituency. Sukhu has laid the foundation stone of road projects worth Rs 50 crore in the segment. The poor condition of roads in the constituency has been a major concern of the residents.

The Chief Minister, in his speech, raised the hopes of landless Pong Dam oustees. A large number of Pong Dam oustees, who had houses on common land, became encroachers after the Himachal Government in 1980s converted all such land into forestland.

Sukhu had said that the state government would settle the claims of the dam oustees living on forestland under the Forest Rights Act. It is for the first time that a Chief Minister has committed to settling the claims of the Pong Dam oustees living on forestland in the region.

Finally, hope for Pong Dam oustees

• The Chief Minister had recently said the state government would settle the claims of the Pong Dam oustees living on forestland under the Forest Rights Act
• A large number of Pong Dam oustees, who had houses on common land, became encroachers after the Himachal Pradesh Government in 1980s converted all such land into forestland