The Himachal Pradesh (HP) Chief Minister (CM) Jai Ram Thakur has announced that the various kinds of organised syndicate crime (mafia raj) in the state will be dealt with an iron hand. CM announced this during the reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on Governor’s Address on Friday.

Reiterating his governments stand on zero tolerance on corruption, he said that the priority would be to provide a clean administration. He sought the support and co-operation of the Opposition to eliminate the various kinds of mafia that include drug mining mafia, mining mafia and liquor mafia in the state and said any suggestions from the Opposition were welcome for the progress and development of the state.

He said that the ‘Gudia’ rape and murder case and the death of Hoshiyar Singh, both being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had brought bad name to the state. He also announced a sum of Rs Three Lakh to the family of Suraj, the alleged accused who died in police custody and is survived by his widowed wife and two minor children.

He said that he was taking a feedback of the role of police officers in the ‘Gudia’ case and custodial death of Suraj and it will take time to restore the faith of the people in the police.

While blaming the previous Congress government for opening a large number of educational institutions in the name of expansion, he said that his government will review the same. He also confirmed that a large number of institutions, health services had been opened without taking into consideration the paucity of the staff.

Discrimination had been done by the previous Congress government, while disbursing funds from the CM Relief Fund, he said. He said that his government will expedite the various developmental works that were hanging in balance despite funds having been provided by the Central government. The state was reeling under the debt of Rs 46,500 Crore and it was necessary that the public should be aware of it, however, the Opposition was resenting this disclosure, he added.

Thakur apprised the house that the Centre had assured help to bail out the government from the financial crisis.

Earlier, during the discussion Congress Legislative Party leader MukeshAgnihotri blamed the BJP government at the Centre for Opposing the initiatives of the UPA government, which however, were given a nod after the BJP came to power. “The future of the BJP government is roll back, go back and later follow what the previous Congress government had done,” he said.