Shimla: The Himachal cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft agreement for the Chandigarh-Baddi expressway, gave its nod for leasing land in Tribal Kinnaur to execute a hydropower project in the private sector, reduced freight on cotton yarn and sanctioned 225 posts in education and revenue departments.
Presided over by chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, the cabinet approved a draft memorandum of understanding to be signed between Himachal Pradesh and Punjab governments for construction a 67.7 kms six lane expressway starting out from Chandigarh and passing through Mohali International Airport and terminating at Baddi.
A cabinet spokesman said the expressway would incorporate provisions to expand the road into a 10 lane road and would prove instrumental in providing quality connectivity to the entire industrial belt of Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh.
The cabinet approved leasing out of 34.18 bighas of government land for an of Rs 34.90 lakh to Accent Hydro Limited in order to execute a 4.5 MW mini hydel Project at Milan in district Kinnaur district.
Scarcity of land in the highland zone otherwise debars any state or outside resident to buy or lease out land in Kinnaur district under tribal land protection laws.
The cabinet consented to reduce the freight charges from existing Rs 4.5 per additional 10 kgs to Rs. 3.00 for different types of cotton yarn (except woolen yarn) by amending the Himachal Pradesh Passenger and Goods Tax Act, 1955.
The cabinet approved filling up of 125 posts of clerks in the education department and 100 posts of trained patwaries on contract basis in the revenue department.
It consented to revive the extra-ordinary leave scheme with the prior permission of the chief minister for benefit of technically and professionally qualified government officials to explore possibilities of employment in private sector, within and outside the country.
The Rs 154.92 crore poly house farming project was named “Pandit Deen Dayal Kisaan Baagwan Samridhi Yojna’ by the state cabinet.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
