SHIMLA-4^th November, 2024-Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today inaugurated a new Public Works Department (PWD) sub-division Office, Bijhari in the Barsar assembly constituency of Hamirpur district. He said that this sub-division would improve the maintenance of roads in the Dhatwal area. Until now, the Barsar sub-division was responsible for approximately 600 kilometers of roads and with the opening of the new sub-division in Bijhari the PWD would now function more efficiently.

The Chief Minister also dedicated the strengthening work of the 12 kilometer Barsar-Shahtlai road completed at a cost of Rs. 3.19 crore. He said that this would benefit local residents as well as the large number of pilgrims visiting the prominent religious sites of Shahtlai and Deotsidh. Additionally, he laid the foundation stone for the strengthening work of the 24 kilometer Saloni-Deotsidh road on which Rs. 26.32 crore would be spent. This road currently 3.2 meters wide would be expanded to 5.5 meters thereby improving vehicle movement and accessibility.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu received a rousing welcome upon arriving in Nadaun and Shahtlai where large number of people gathered to greet him.

Earlier, during an interaction with journalists at Nadaun the Chief Minister said that he convened a meeting with Ministers today morning in Shimla to discuss budget preparations. He has directed them to complete all necessary formalities promptly so that the budget-making process can advance smoothly. He said that the present State Government has already fulfilled five out of its ten guarantees and was actively working towards fulfilling the remaining promises.

He accused the BJP leaders of engaging in politics based on misinformation. He said that the Leader of the Opposition and other BJP leaders were issuing statements daily to grab the headlines, but they lack a unified stance. He further said, “There is an internal conflict within the BJP and the Party is divided into factions. Even the Prime Minister is being given misleading reports by State BJP leaders. No one has informed him that government employees in Himachal received their salaries twice in one month. The State Government has also granted 11 percent dearness allowance to the government employees in just 22 months of its tenure, and October salaries were disbursed four days in advance. However, a slight delay in salary payment once made headlines in the national media.”

Sh. Sukhu also criticized the previous BJP government stating that during their tenure the quality of facilities in Himachal Pradesh declined. He said that the present government is persistently working to improve these services. Reiterating his commitment, he stated “The government aims to make Himachal Pradesh self-reliant by 2027 and one of the most prosperous States in the country by 2032.”

MLAs Suresh Kumar and Captain Ranjit Singh Rana, Ex MLA Manjeet Dogra, KCCB Chairman Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Chairman APMC Hamirpur Ajay Sharma, President District Congress Hamirpur Suman Bharati, Congress leaders Dr. Pushpinder Verma, Subhash Dhatwalia, Vivek Kumar, Nadaun Congress Block President Captain Prithi Chand, Deputy Commissioner Bilaspur Abid Hussain, Deputy Commissioner Hamirpur Amarjeet Singh, Superintendent of Police Bilaspur Sandeep Dhawal, Superintendent of Police Hamirpur Bhagat Singh and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.