Cong govt in Himachal took loans amounting to Rs 45,000 cr in 3 years: State BJP chief

Shimla, Dec 29 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government has taken loans amounting to nearly Rs 45,000 crore in the past three years, directly burdening the public exchequer, said BJP state president Rajiv Bindal on Monday.

The state has been pushed into a situation from where recovery appears extremely difficult, development has come to a complete standstill and the burden of debt, taxes and inflation is being continuously imposed on the common people, he said in a statement issued here.

Bindal, who participated in an organisational meeting with office-bearers and workers of the Nachan Mandal in Sundernagar and later listened to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat', said that despite this massive borrowing, neither new development works are being initiated nor pending projects are being completed.

Taking a dig at the Congress government, Bindal said that even after exhausting the borrowing limit, the government sought extensions to take further loans, reflecting financial mismanagement and near bankruptcy.

He said Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) fares have increased manifold, hundreds of bus routes have already been shut down and around 500 more routes are on the verge of closure. Travel concessions for women have been withdrawn, forcing rural and poor citizens to depend on private transport and bear additional expenses.

Bindal alleged steep hikes in electricity, water, cement and essential commodities and said that schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Himcare have been virtually shut down.

He alleged that hospitals are facing medicine shortages, doctors and paramedical staff are unavailable, and patients are forced to wander for treatment. These are clear evidence of an overall administrative collapse, he alleged.

He said that the BJP-led central government has given over Rs 6,000 crore to the state for roads, drinking water, four-lane highways, tunnels, railways, housing, free ration and disaster relief but still disaster-affected families remain homeless as relief distribution is marred by favouritism and arbitrary allocation.

Responding to the Congress' announcement of protests in rural areas against discontinuing MNREGA, he said that the Centre has introduced a new rural employment scheme superior to the MGNREGA, guaranteeing 125 days of mandatory employment. PTI BPL KSS KSS