Solan, May 14, 2026-Senior BJP leader Rajesh Kashyap and Mandal President Shailendra Gupta launched a sharp attack on the Congress government and the Congress-led Solan Municipal Corporation, alleging that Solan has witnessed only corruption, administrative chaos, water crisis, rising taxes and neglect of development works over the past several years. They said BJP has brought before the people a detailed charge sheet exposing the failures of the Congress government and Municipal Corporation.
Rajesh Kashyap said Congress had promised affordable and improved water supply facilities in its 2021 manifesto, but many areas of Solan still receive water only once every seven to eight days. He stated that nearly 40 percent of water is being wasted due to leaking pipelines, forcing residents to spend additional money on private water tankers to meet their daily needs.
He alleged that the Congress government also failed to transfer Solan’s water management system from the Municipal Corporation to the Jal Shakti Department, further worsening the crisis. Meanwhile, the state government increased water tariffs nearly fourfold from ₹27.71 to ₹100 per kilolitre, resulting in a massive water liability of around ₹125 crore on the Municipal Corporation and severely weakening its financial condition.
Shailendra Gupta stated that the Congress-led Municipal Corporation completely failed to scientifically dispose of nearly 48,000 tonnes of legacy waste lying at the Salogra dumping site. Despite a deadline fixed in May 2022, the issue remained unresolved, leading the State Pollution Control Board to impose an environmental penalty of ₹9.10 lakh and issue repeated notices.
He further said that Congress had promised free door-to-door garbage collection and improvement of the city’s sewerage system in its 2021 manifesto, but neither promise was fulfilled. Despite spending nearly ₹6 crore and recovering only around ₹1 crore, garbage management problems remain unresolved and dues exceeding ₹50 lakh have accumulated. Ultimately, the High Court had to intervene in the matter.
The BJP leaders alleged that the Congress-led Municipal Corporation imposed a heavy increase in property tax, particularly affecting newly added rural areas. While Congress had promised reductions in house tax and sanitation tax along with tax exemptions for five years until basic facilities were provided, residents are instead being forced to pay higher urban taxes despite lacking essential civic amenities.
Rajesh Kashyap said Congress had made major promises regarding multi-level parking facilities at the old bus stand, Jaunaji Road and Government College Solan, along with traffic management reforms. However, Solan continues to suffer from severe traffic congestion and parking shortages.
He further stated that promises related to parks, open gyms, walking tracks, rose gardens and ambulance roads also remain incomplete, leaving the city deprived of proper recreational and public facilities.
Shailendra Gupta said Congress had promised installation of CCTV cameras, better street lighting and special security measures for women, but most of these commitments were never properly implemented. As a result, many residents, especially women, continue to feel unsafe during nighttime.
The BJP leaders also raised serious allegations regarding the ₹700 crore Chester Hills housing project. They alleged irregularities involving illegal land transactions, benami dealings and violations of land laws. Investigations also reportedly revealed lack of transparency and accountability in the functioning of the project.
They further alleged serious irregularities in the Solan Municipal Corporation voter list preparation process. Names of several long-term residents were reportedly removed, ward boundaries were improperly drawn and some areas were either duplicated or completely excluded, raising serious questions about transparency in electoral administration.
Rajesh Kashyap and Shailendra Gupta said environmental governance under the Congress government also remained weak. RTI revelations reportedly showed that 195 industrial units in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial belt were operating without mandatory pollution control clearances, exposing failures in monitoring by the Pollution Control Board.
They further alleged that financial negligence by the Congress government delayed construction work of the super speciality hospital being built at Kather Bypass. Around ₹53.65 lakh required for shifting a 33 KV electricity line was not released on time, causing major delays in the project.
The BJP leaders stated that the Congress government has given the people of Solan nothing except false promises, heavy taxation, corruption and administrative disorder, whereas BJP is approaching the people with the agenda of development, transparency and public welfare. They expressed confidence that the people of Solan would give a strong reply to Congress in the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections.