Shifting of horticulture college from Thunag govt’s decision, not mine: Minister

Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi today said that it was the state government’s decision and not his to shift the College of Horticulture and Forestry from Thunag to Nachan and the protest by BJP supporters in Seraj on Friday was politically motivated and unlawful.

The minister said that the protesters, led by BJP leaders, were attempting to coerce him into making a statement that the College of Horticulture, Thunag, which had been shifted to Nachan considering students’ safety, would be reinstated.

Negi added that following the rain disaster, the college, which comes under the YPS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni (Solan), was initially temporarily moved to Sundernagar, as the original building at Thunag was deemed to be unsafe. The structure, located near a water stream, had been damaged twice during the monsoon season, putting the lives of students at risk. “Last year, students had a narrow escape. The site selection for the college made during the BJP’s rule under former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, was flawed,” he alleged.

Negi said that the decision to shift the college was taken by the state government based on the requests of students and their parents and not by him. He accused the BJP of playing petty politics over the natural disaster. He alleged that the protesters were not disaster-affected citizens but political workers, who wanted to stir unrest.

Today, Negi visited Syathi village in the Dharampur Assembly constituency to assess the ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts in the areas hit by recent flashfloods and landslides. He interacted with the affected families and told officials at a meeting in Dharampur that providing relief to every disaster-hit citizen was the top priority of the state government.

Negi commended Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for reaching disaster-affected Syathi village within 24 hours of the cloudburst and issuing direct instructions for relief and rehabilitation measures. The minister announced that families, whose homes had been completely destroyed, would receive a financial aid of Rs 7 lakh each.

The minister acknowledged the challenge of land availability for reconstruction work, as most vacant land falls under the forest category. To address the problem, the state had passed a resolution in the Assembly, seeking amendments to the Forest Conservation Act and sent it to the Central Government for approval. He added that the families, whose livelihood depend on forests, may be eligible for land allotment under the Forest Rights Act.

The minister said that the Revenue, Agriculture, and Horticulture departments would jointly assess damage to farmland and orchards and compensation would be provided accordingly. The government had enhanced the relief amounts under the 2023 package, he added.

Negi reviewed the progress of the work being undertaken by the Public Works Department, Jal Shakti Department and the state Electricity Board in restoring infrastructure and directed the officials concerned to expedite restoration efforts.

Dharampur MLA Chander Shekhar said that 22 families had been directly affected by the rain disaster. He expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister and the state government for their swift response and support following the disaster.

Himachal Tribune