Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sunder Singh Thakur in a joint statement stated that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu ensured timely compensation to those displaced by central road projects.

The Chief Minister has ensured that adequate compensation was disbursed and distributed to the displaced of approximately Rs 1200 crore to that too within 15 days after reviewing the pendency, they added.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, they took a jibe at the former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, saying that he during his tenure never conducted the inspection of any of the National Highway projects.

“He also never pursued early completion and completely ignored the compensation cases to be paid to the displaced, and was now conducting inspections of Kiratpur-Nerchowk four-lane, which seems to be quite surprising,” they said.

The Central Government had announced 68 National Highways for the state amounting to Rs 67,000 crore and since the last five years Jai Ram Thakur could not pursue the cases of compensation and land acquisition with his central leadership, they said.

Jai Ram Thakur never even bothered to visit any of the central road project sites during his tenure and also BJP cheated the farmers and those whose land was acquired by the NHAI and kept befooling them for five years, that they will give four times compensation, they charged, they said.

“When the BJP was in power, it failed to implement the factor formula to pay compensation for the land being acquired for the construction of four lanes and national highways in the state during the 2017 assembly election,” they alleged.

During the elections to the State Assembly, even the Union Home Minister had assured the people of Mandi that four times compensation will be provided to them, but all in vain, they charged.

Claiming credit, they said that it was the then Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Kamal Nath who had agreed in principle for the four laning of Kirat-Pur Manali four-lane project and he got the feasibility study conducted as well besides making provision for funds.

Vikramaditya Singh and Sunder Singh said Sukhu had personally met the Prime Minister of India and  Union Minister for Road Transport and Highway, Nitin  Gadkari a number of times to get the works expedited on the ongoing central road projects in the state.

“Now when the Kiratpur- Nerchowk four-lane is complete Jai Ram Thakur reached for its inspection for the first time to be in the news,” they claimed.

Sukhu pursued completion of DPRs in time and the NHAI has agreed in principle for the construction of four-lane road project from Shimla to Matour with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore and Rs. 12,000 crore four-laning of Pathankot to Mandi road, they asserted.

The State BJP leaders along with Jai Ram Thakur were trying to take the credit of four lanes projects keeping in view the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and were trying to be a true benefactor of the people. However, the people of the state are very well aware of their modus operandi and cheap tactics of BJP so as to gain popularity, they asserted.