Shimla, March 28 Several Himachal Pradesh MLAs raised issues of staff shortages, suspended bus services, poor road quality, and disaster damage during Zero Hour in the Assembly on Saturday.
MLA Surender Shourie raised the issue of long-pending vacancies for teaching staff in the colleges of Banjar and Sainj. He noted that professor positions across various subjects in these colleges have remained vacant for the past three years, adversely affecting students' education.
He demanded that the government fill these vacancies immediately.
In response, Education Minister Rohit Thakur said the government plans to fill 400 teaching posts shortly, with the recruitment process commencing in April. Until then, efforts will be made to fill vacant positions through rationalization, he added.
MLA Sudarshan Bablu raised the issue of an electricity department official allegedly behaving inappropriately with the public. MLA Suresh Kumar raised the matter of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus routes in the Bhoranj region that have remained suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said that suspending several bus routes causes immense commuting difficulties for the general public, including school and college students.
MLA Deep Raj highlighted the financial losses local traders incur due to shops set up by merchants visiting from other states during local fairs and festivals. He argued that these visiting merchants sell goods at lower prices, often without paying taxes, causing financial loss to the state's own traders.
He demanded the formulation of a specific policy to address this issue.
MLA Trilok Jambal raised questions regarding the quality of roads and culverts currently being constructed in the aftermath of the natural disasters that struck in 2023.
He alleged that contractors in his constituency are failing to adhere to quality standards and demanded an inquiry into the matter. In response, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh assured the House that utmost care would be taken to ensure the quality of the roads and culverts being constructed.
Singh said the government introduced a new drainage policy, under which box culverts will now be installed to ensure more efficient water drainage.
MLA Kewal Singh Pathania demanded the immediate restoration of the alternative road route between Dharamshala and Shahpur, which heavy rains had blocked.
He said that a large number of tourists use this very route to travel to McLeod Ganj, and its closure is causing significant inconvenience to the public. In response, the Minister of Public Works assured that a speedy solution would be found to resolve the problem.
Raising the issue of pine trees felled by natural calamities, MLA Hardeep Singh Baba asserted that the Forest Corporation should mark these trees and take them into custody to prevent the theft of forest resources.