State borders opened under Centre’s pressure: Kuldeep Rathore

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 7

Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Kuldeep Rathore today said that the decision of the state government to open borders for everyone would prove to be counterproductive. Himachal being a tourism state was bound to witness a huge influx of visitors.

Rathore, while addressing mediapersons here, said that the government took the decision under pressure from the Central Government. “The decision to allow unhindered entry of people to Himachal will prove to be disastrous. The decision has caused considerable fear among the locals,” he added. He urged Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to reconsider the decision and keep checks and barriers while allowing people to visit the state.

Rathore said that when hoteliers were not willing, the government should not force them to open their businesses. “A majority of the hotels and tourism establishments are located in rural areas and there is a high probability of Covid spread there — the rural areas lack medical facilities. Is this decision part of the Chief Minister’s agenda to make Himachal a quarantine destination?,” he added.

He said that the number of virus cases in Himachal had crossed the 1,000 mark. “The gains that Himachal made in preventing the spread of Covid initially due to the lockdown will be lost if the state’s borders are opened for one and all,” he said. The HPCC chief said the Congress would undertake a plantation campaign in the state from July 9.

He requested the government to make arrangements for providing labour for the apple crop that contributes about Rs 5,000 crore to the state’s economy.