HP govt to formulate policy to provide relief in encroachment cases

Shimla, Jul 15 (PTI) Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday that the state government is considering formulating a policy to provide relief to the poor and landless families who have resided on government land for many years. He said the government is studying the Supreme Court's guidelines on encroachment cases and would take an appropriate decision in the interest of such families. The chief minister said this while addressing the people after laying the foundation stone for the new Municipal Corporation office building in Hamirpur, which will be constructed at a cost of about Rs 19.4 crore. He inaugurated newly constructed shops and a Rural Haat worth around Rs 50 lakh for small traders and women's self-help groups. Sukhu said residents of newly included areas under the Hamirpur Municipal Corporation will receive a five-year exemption from municipal taxes. "A new bus stand costing around Rs 130 crore and the largest in Himachal Pradesh, was under construction in Hamirpur. Additionally, about Rs 200 crore will be spent to redevelop the existing bus stand site into a modern City Centre, offering shopping, entertainment, parking and other public facilities. The existing shopkeepers will be accommodated either in the new City Centre or at another suitable location," he said. The chief minister said the healthcare and education sectors were the state government's top priorities. "The government is installing advanced medical equipment in all government medical colleges and focusing on recruiting super-specialist doctors and professors so that people can access AIIMS- and PGI-level healthcare within the state. The government is also spending Rs 125 crore to modernise laboratories in these medical colleges. It will also start robotic surgery facilities, making this advanced treatment available to patients at a much lower cost. The number of postgraduate (PG) medical seats is also being increased to produce more specialist doctors," he said. Sukhu assured that the Himcare health insurance scheme will not be discontinued. He said, however, the government will expose the irregularities and alleged scam that occurred under the scheme. He said five state-level offices for various government departments, boards and corporations had been established in Hamirpur, and several major development projects had been approved for the town. PTI COR ASD ASD