‘Tourism village’ row: Don’t deprive edu institute of valuable land, says ex-minister

Former IPH Minister and senior BJP leader Ravinder Thakur, while addressing mediapersons here today, said he was not against the decision of the state government to set up a ‘tourism village’ in Palampur, but had opposed the state government “forcibly” acquiring 112 hectares of Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University (HPAU), Palampur, for the project.

The government should not deprive any educational institution of its valuable land, just to pass on the same to a private party, he added.

Thakur called upon Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to review the decision to set up the project on the HPAU campus, stating that the CM should explore other possibilities and must respect public sentiments.

“Sufficient government land is available in upper areas of Palampur, which will be more suitable for the proposed tourism village,” he said, adding that the government should acquire that land instead. “University land should only be used for educational purposes, and there is no justification for setting up a ‘tourism village’ on the university campus”, he added.