Dharamsala: On Wednesday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that Rs 70 crores will be allocated for tourism development in the Pong Dam reservoir area of Kangra district. The plan includes the introduction of shikaras (traditional Kashmiri boats) and floating hotels, among other initiatives. The Chief Minister emphasized his vision of developing Kangra district as the tourism capital of the state, with the Pong Dam area being an integral part of the plan. He expressed confidence that the Pong Dam area will become a top tourist attraction within the next four years.
During a public meeting in Fatehpur, Kangra district on Wednesday, Chief Minister Sukhu made several other announcements. He declared the up-gradation of the police post in Rehan to a police station and the establishment of an indoor stadium with a swimming pool in Fatehpur. Additionally, he pledged five crore rupees for the construction of a state-of-the-art Cow Sanctuary spread across 300 kanals of land in the Fatehpur area. The Chief Minister also revealed plans to begin the construction of a bus stand in Fatehpur after November 2023, and he expressed the intention to open a Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School in Fatehpur, subject to the availability of land.
Regarding hydroelectric potential, Chief Minister Sukhu highlighted its importance for economic stability and stated that the issue of increasing the state’s royalty share from hydro power projects, which are debt-free, has been raised with the Union Government, seeking an increase of up to 30 to 40 percent.
Chief Minister Sukhu acknowledged the significant debt burden inherited from the previous government, amounting to 75,000 crore rupees, but assured that sustained efforts will bring about a change to minimize the deficit. He reiterated the state government’s commitment to increasing revenue resources and mentioned that significant decisions have already been taken to achieve this goal.
During the visit, the Chief Minister inaugurated a 51.85-meter-long double-lane bridge over Sakri Khud on the Dadwala-Sakri road, constructed at a cost of 2.98 crore rupees. The bridge will benefit the population of approximately 8,500 people in the Rehan, Sakri, Chhatar Khas, Chhatar Jogian, Golwan, Batrahan, Chamoli, Panjror, and Bari villages.
Chief Minister Sukhu was received at Fatehpur by MLA Bhawani Singh Pathania and local Congress leaders. He also paid homage to former Minister late Sujan Singh Pathania at his bust in Fatehpur and paid respects to the statue of Maharana Pratap at Pong Dam.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
