Work on medical device park going on though pact with Centre cancelled: Cong

Naresh Chauhan, Media Adviser to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, today said that the work on the medical device park was going on though the state had cancelled the agreement with the Central Government. He was responding to BJP national president JP Nadda’s allegation that the state government had scrapped the medical device park project in Nalagarh.

Chauhan said, “The state government has already spent around Rs 130 cr on the development of the site and other infrastructure in the medical device park.” He added that the state government would complete the park on its own without compromising the interests of Himachal.

He said that the state government had returned Rs 25 crore to the Central Government along with interest and decided to complete the Rs 300 crore project through own funds. “The Centre had offered a financial assistance of Rs 100 crore with conditions that were detrimental to the interests of the state. Had the state government accepted the conditions, it would have to provide industrial land to entrepreneurs at a nominal rate of one rupee per square metre, effectively transferring 300 acres for just Rs 12 lakh. The actual market value of the land is nearly Rs 500 crore. Now, the state government will provide land to the industrialists at market rate,” he added.

As per the agreement, the state government was required to supply power at Rs 3 per unit even as it purchased power at Rs 7 per unit. “All this and a few more conditions would have resulted in a huge financial loss to the state. So, the government decided to return Rs 25 crore to the Central Government and implement the project itself,” said Chauhan.

Besides, he urged Nadda to use his good offices to further the state’s interests and not to indulge in petty politics.

Himachal Tribune