Shimla, April 3 The Himachal Pradesh BJP on Friday demanded an investigation by a sitting high court judge into the alleged irregularities in the Chester Hills project, a high-end housing scheme in Solan, and termed the acting chief secretary holding a press conference to “defend” himself as “unprecedented”.
On March 31, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta held a press conference to dismiss the allegations against the Chester Hills housing project as baseless, and said that the truth will prevail once the investigation is complete.
On March 30, the CPI(M) had claimed violation of land laws in the project, and demanded an SIT probe into alleged land mafia activities, including benami land deals.
State BJP chief spokesperson Randhir Sharma told mediapersons on Friday that the party demands a high-level inquiry by a sitting high court judge into the violations in the Chester Hills housing project.
“When officers themselves come forward to justify allegations and the government remains silent, it indicates that not just something, but everything is wrong.
“There is an impression that the government is not just shielding the corrupt officers, but also rewarding them by offering them extensions and plump postings,” Sharma alleged.
At the presser, Gupta, while claiming to be innocent, had pointed out “irregularities” involving former chief secretaries.
Alleging violation of Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, the Left leaders had said that a fair probe was impossible unless the chief secretary was removed from his post.
Sharma also alleged that the chief minister’s office (CMO) was functioning more as a centre of “commission culture” rather than a decision making body, and that its prestige was at stake.
The BJP spokesman also raised the issue of entry tax for passenger vehicles, which recently triggered protests and traffic disruptions at multiple locations.
“By imposing Rs 100 entry tax on five-seater vehicles entering Himachal, the government has directly hit the common man,” Sharma said.
On February 16, a notification was issued announcing that the entry tax for small passenger vehicles will be increased to Rs 170 from the existing Rs 70.
After receiving backlash, the tax was fixed at Rs 130.
On Tuesday, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told the Assembly that the hike in entry tax would be rolled back, and later in the evening, a notification was issued stating, “Keeping the general public's convenience in mind, the government has reduced the toll tax rate for passenger vehicles from Rs 130 to Rs 100.”
