Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has assured that a survey will be conducted and a detailed project report (DPR) will be prepared for the construction of a tunnel beneath Kunzum Pass. He said that the state would spend ₹500 crore on Spiti’s development in the coming years.
Addressing a public meeting in Kaza during his two-day visit to Spiti valley on Wednesday, the CM said the state government was making efforts to construct the tunnel, which would provide better road connectivity throughout the year to local residents and tourists.
The CM said that Spiti valley would be declared a natural farming area and said that the possibility of opening a college in Kaza would be explored. In addition, gynaecologists and medicine specialists would be appointed in Kaza. He said that a survey would be conducted for the construction of a heliport in Kaza, which would boost tourism activities and benefit local residents.
The Sumdo-Kaza transmission line is targeted for completion within three years, at an estimated cost of approximately ₹350 crore. He said the state government was working towards doubling the income of the people of Spiti.
Sukhu said that when he first visited the region on April 15, 2023, to celebrate Himachal Day, local residents had raised the issue of electricity shortages. He said efforts to address the problem were now beginning to yield results on the ground.
{{/usCountry}}Sukhu said that when he first visited the region on April 15, 2023, to celebrate Himachal Day, local residents had raised the issue of electricity shortages. He said efforts to address the problem were now beginning to yield results on the ground.
{{/usCountry}}He said that approximately 42% of Himachal Pradesh’s geographical area falls within cold desert regions. “The state government was paying special attention to the development of the populations living in these areas and allocating additional funds for their welfare,” he said.
The CM said the state government was continuously working for the welfare of its employees. He said the government would consider releasing an instalment of dearness allowance on the occasion of Diwali.
Sukhu said Union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda had questioned the state government’s expenditure on healthcare services. “However, during the previous BJP government’s tenure, only 35% of the sanctioned staff positions were filled in the state’s medical colleges and other healthcare institutions. Under the present government’s efforts, staffing levels had increased to 70%,” he said.
Sukhu on Wednesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of development projects worth ₹116.28 crore in the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti in the remote and strategically important border areas of Himachal Pradesh.
The CM inaugurated the first solar power project of the state with a battery storage facility in Rongtong, Kaza, of Spiti valley. The 2 MW solar power plant with a 1 MWh battery energy storage system, constructed at a cost of ₹4.42 crore, is located at an altitude of approximately 3,600 metres above sea level.
The plant is expected to generate around 36 lakh units of electricity annually. Sukhu said that the solar power project would emerge as a new symbol of development in the Spiti valley. He said that the Rongtong Hydel Power Project would be made fully functional, for which an amount of ₹6 crore would be spent.
The government would introduce moral education in the school syllabus from the next academic session, Sukhu said in Spiti on Wednesday. He was interacting with students of a CBSE school in Kaza in Lahaul and Spiti district. During the interaction, a student informed the CM that there is a shortage of a cook, cleaning staff, and a female warden at the hostel.
In response, the CM said that separate hostels for boys and girls would be constructed to provide students with better residential facilities.