Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reiterating the resolve of his government to give a boost to tourism said that air connectivity in the state will be improved

The state government is keen to develop Kangra district as the ‘Tourism Capital’ of the state and to enhance the footfall of International and domestic tourists, Kangra airport would be expanded to achieve this goal, he added.

He stated this while virtually laying the foundation stone of the Modern Police Station at Shahpur to be constructed with an outlay of rupees five crore from Chandigarh on Wednesday.

He said that he wanted to lay the foundation stone of this Police Station in person but could not reach Shahpur due to inclement weather conditions.

He said that the state government has initiated the process of land acquisition for its expansion and assured that the state government would provide government land to the displaced people whose land would be acquired in the expansion process so that no one is left homeless.

“The expansion of Kangra Airport would bring economic prosperity in the region,” he said, adding that efforts were afoot to improve air connectivity, including the construction of a hangar for choppers in Palampur.

Additionally, the government plans to allocate Rs. 70 crore for the Shahpur-Fatehpur road project and has provided funds for Rehan College, he said, adding that approval has been granted for the opening of a Police Station in Bir.

The Chief Minister said that the present state government is committed to ensure balanced and uniform development of the entire state by rising above regional sentiments.

“The state government was working to attract investments in IT sector in the state. In ITI Shahpur, a training course has been started to train drone pilots and mechanics for the desirous aspirants,” he said.

Despite the state’s challenging economic condition, the Chief Minister assured that there would be no shortage of funds for development.

He said that the state government has provided old pension scheme to its employees so that they could live secure and respectable life during their old age.

Sukhu said that a Cabinet Sub-Committee, led by Agriculture Minister Prof. Chander Kumar, has been formed to pursue 7.19 percent share of Himachal Pradesh in Chandigarh.

He criticized the previous BJP government for neglecting the state’s interests in various projects, particularly in power projects undertaken by SJVN.

He vowed to advocate for the state’s concerns on appropriate platforms and also sought the cooperation of the BJP where the state’s interests were involved.

“During the tenure of the previous BJP government, nothing was done in the name of investment, except draining the state’s resources,” he said.