SHIMLA, 21.11.24-It was during the Jai Ram led BJP Government that the proposal was mooted to outsource the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) hotels which raised hue and cry in Vidhan Sabha as well and even the ministers of the BJP didn’t knew about the move, stated Principal Advisor, Media to the Chief Minister, Naresh Chauhan while addressing the media here today.

He said that the issue was objected in Vidhan Sabha of selling or leasing out the HPTDC hotels to private parties. He blamed the BJP leaders for tarnishing the image of the State nationwide. Just to mark their presence in the media and to be in limelight, five to six Central and State leaders of BJP were escalating the issue, criticising the government for not fulfilling its promises and igniting issues as that of Himachal Bhawan, New Delhi and of other HPTDC properties, besides belittling the State on other petty issues. They should rather have taken the adoptive measures during their tenure and it seems that they lacked the administrative and legal knowledge.

As far as the payment of upfront premium to M/s Moser Baer power project ltd which agreed to set up HEP on Chandra-Bhaga river, we want to clarify it again that the company agreed upon to pay Rs. 20 lakh per MW in a competitive bid and paid a premium of Rs. 64 crore and when the company was unable to execute the arbitration agreement to start the project, they went to the court demanding repayment of the same as against the provision of the then energy policy.

We will fight a legal battle for the same wherein Himachal Bhawan was ordered to be attached, he emphasized upon. The options were open to the government to make a legal move.

Even in a similar case of Jangi-Thopan & Thopan- Powari Hydel electric projects (960 MW) in Kinnaur, M/s Adani Power limited moved the court to claim upfront premium of Rs 280 crore. Herein, the impugned judgement of the single bench then was set aside by the double bench and affirmed the forfeiture of the upfront premium. Still a long way to go, the Government was considering all the aspects and will take a legal route, remarked Naresh Chauhan.

He even questioned the lackadaisical approach of the previous BJP Government, which didn’t paid any heed to the issue but rather sold the interests of the State to the private bidders in hydel sector by abolishing the royalty to be paid to the State. It was the present Government which after assuming power brought about a change in the Energy policy and decided to restore the royalty, he asserted.

As far as the closure of the HPTDC units, the government will look as to whether outsource these projects running in loss or to strengthen them. A committee has been formed and a senior IAS officer will table the suggestions soon.

The BJP was almost ready to lease out the tourism properties, particularly the hotels, and even one bidder was asked to take over few tourism units who took a huge loan for the same as per my knowledge and this is an issue to be inquired into, he stated.

The BJP was trying to defame Himachal in wake of the elections being held in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and bye-polls in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. He said that people should know the truth and the truth was that Jai Ram's government almost sold out the HPTDC properties, if it would not have been opposed in Vidhan Sabha.

Why the BJP is tight-lipped on the Sukh-Aashray Yojna, where six thousand children have been adopted as the 'Children of the State' and a law has been framed making Himachal, the first State in the Country to do so. Why BJP was mum on Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Yojna, Rajiv Gandhi Start up Scheme, on the decision of starting English medium in first class in all the government schools and many other more welfare schemes, he questioned. The BJP fears that raking up these issues will boomerang upon them and they won't succeed in their ulterior motive.