Kangra District to Get a New Identity on the Tourism Map: Agnihotri
Dharamshala (The Uttam Hindu): Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri presided over the district-level 77th Republic Day celebrations held at the Police Ground in Dharamshala, the headquarters of Kangra district, on Monday. He hoisted the national flag on the occasion and took the salute of the impressive parade presented by contingents of the Army, Police, Home Guards, NSS, and Scouts and Guides.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the state is moving forward with the resolve to make Himachal Pradesh a self-reliant and prosperous state. Emphasis has been placed on creating new resources to strengthen the state's economy, resulting in a revenue of Rs. 26,683 crore in the last three years. He said that natural, religious, adventure, and spiritual tourism is being promoted on a large scale in the state. Kangra district is being developed as the tourism capital of the state. Keeping this in mind, the state headquarters of the Tourism Corporation has been shifted to Dharamshala. The work of establishing the Aranya Wildlife Park in Bankhandi, Dehra, at a cost of Rs. 619 crore is in progress.
He said that to promote tourism, Asia's largest zipline will be established in Naddi, Kangra district, with a total length of 4.2 kilometers, and it will be built in a completely eco-friendly manner.
The Kangra airport is being expanded. The length of its runway will be increased from 1376 meters to 3010 meters, and it will have facilities for Airbus and night landings. Land acquisition for this is underway, and an amount of Rs. 1332 crore has already been released. A heliport is being constructed in Palampur. An international-level convention center is being built in Dharamshala. Efforts are underway to promote tourism, water sports, and adventure sports activities in the Pong area. The state government is working on the beautification of the Jwalamukhi temple with the help of experts from NIT Hamirpur, for which a master plan of Rs. 100 crore has been prepared, while a master plan of Rs. 150 crore has been prepared for the beautification of the Shaktipeeth Chintpurni temple. He said that the Durgesh Aranya Wildlife Sanctuary is being developed in Bankhandi of Dehra sub-division at a cost of Rs. 619 crore. He said that under the Rajiv Gandhi Start-up Scheme, the facility to purchase e-taxis with a 50 percent subsidy is being provided.
He said that the government has sanctioned 354 schemes for better drinking water and irrigation in Kangra district, out of which 192 schemes have been completed. Rs. 3360 crore is being spent on these schemes. The Sukahar Medium Irrigation Project worth Rs. 213.40 crore for Jawali assembly constituency and drinking water and irrigation projects worth Rs. 333.49 crore for the panchayats of Jwalamukhi area are being prepared.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that Rs. 433.94 crore has been sanctioned for 9 sewerage schemes in Kangra district, and Rs. 93.52 crore has already been spent. Out of the total sanctioned amount of Rs. 643.68 crore for the Finna Singh Medium Irrigation Project, Rs. 301.48 crore has been spent.
He said that to provide better transport facilities, 297 new electric buses are being added to the transport corporation's fleet in place of old diesel buses, on which Rs. 424 crore will be spent. 310 charging stations are being set up at various locations, including state guesthouses and government offices. In addition, the process of setting up charging stations at 41 other locations on a public-private partnership basis is underway. Automated Vehicle Testing Centers (ATS) are also being developed in the state. Mukesh Agnihotri said that a new Pepsi plant is being established in Kandrori, Kangra district, at a cost of Rs 268 crore, which will provide employment to more than 2,000 people. To increase the income of livestock farmers, a world-class milk processing plant is being established in Dhagwar, Kangra, at a cost of Rs 201 crore.
The Deputy Chief Minister appealed to the people of the state to unite and fight against the increasing trend of drug abuse among the youth so that their future does not become bleak. The government has launched a drug-free Himachal campaign, and strict action is being taken against drug traffickers.
On this occasion, he also honored individuals and organizations who have done remarkable social work in various fields, as well as the groups that presented cultural programs.
Present on the occasion were Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, MLAs Sanjay Rattan, Ashish Butail and Malendra Rajan, President of Himachal Wool Federation Manoj Thakur, Vice Chairman of Himachal Road Transport Corporation Ajay Verma, Chairman of APMC Nishu Mongra, District Congress President Anurag Sharma, Municipal Corporation Mayor Neenu Sharma, former Mayor Devendra Jaggi, Councillors Anurag and Omkar Nehria, Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa, Superintendent of Police Ashok Rattan, and other dignitaries.