Crime on the rise in state, debt has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore: Bindal

BJP state president Rajeev Bindal today said that the Congress government, which was in its third financial year, had burdened the people of the state with additional Rs 900 crore debt. The total debt on the state stood at over Rs 1.04 lakh crore.

Bindal, while addressing mediapersons here, said that there was complete disorder in the state, heinous crimes were on the rise, development had halted and the mafias were reigning supreme.

He added that a Dalit youth was brutally murdered in Chamba. While the BJP, led by Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, staged a protest, demanding action against the accused, the state government remained a mute spectator.

He said that the Mandi SDM was manhandled and Vimal Negi, Chief Engineer of the HPPCL, was found dead but the government remained silent. Bindal asked the government why it was not ordering a CBI inquiry into Vimal Negi’s death when his family members had levelled serious allegations against senior HPPCL officers and the links of the case had been traced to the installation of a solar power plant at Pekhubela village in Una district amid reports of large-scale corruption and pressure exerted on Negi by senior officers.

Bindal alleged that the mining mafia had spread its tentacles from Una to Hamirpur, Dehra, Kangra, Sirmaur, Solan and Baddi-Barotiwala. He added that the drugs menace was rampant while the forest mafia was involved in large-scale illegal felling of trees. He claimed that when Forest Department officials tried to intervene, they were manhandled and thrashed. The liquor mafia was also flourishing in the state.

Bindal said that whatever development was visible in the state was due to funds provided by the Central Government. He added that the Central Government had given Rs 406 crore to the state for road infrastructure development recently, but instead of thanking it, Congress leaders claimed that the state had a right in central funds.

Himachal Tribune