Shimla, (UNI) Over one thousand government buildings constructed at a cost of crores of rupees, but still unused, came up for discussion during Question Hour in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Friday.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed the House that 1,098 government buildings across the state are currently lying vacant and are yet to be utilised.
Replying to a question by BJP MLA Satpal Singh Satti, the Chief Minister said these buildings belong to various government departments, boards and corporations as well as health and educational institutions.
He said crores of rupees had been spent on constructing these buildings over the years, but many of them remain unused.
Sukhu added that the number could increase as information from some departments is still awaited.
Satti suggested that such buildings should be identified and put to proper use so that government resources are not wasted and the infrastructure can also generate additional revenue.
He also said that responsibility should be fixed on officials involved in the construction of such unused buildings to prevent similar wasteful expenditure in the future. The MLA further urged the government to issue detailed guidelines for the construction of government buildings to avoid misuse of resources.
Replying to a question by BJP MLA from Baijnath J R Katwal, Chief Minister said that hydropower generation depends on several factors such as the availability of water, disruptions caused by natural disasters, and problems related to silt, among others.
In such a situation, it is not possible to fix a specific energy production target for any financial year, nor is there any provision to do so. Similarly, solar power generation also depends on the availability of sunlight.
He said that during the financial years 2023–24 to 2025–26, a total of 1,19,237.57 million units of energy were produced in the state, with hydropower contributing the largest share.
The Chief Minister stated that Himachal Pradesh has a hydropower generation potential of 22,950 MW, out of which about 13,000 MW of electricity is currently being generated.
He further informed that 188 hydropower projects are currently operational in the state, while 24 projects are under construction. Approval for five hydropower projects is still pending, while six projects are entangled in legal disputes. Besides this, six projects have been found to be unfeasible.
He also said that the state is expanding solar energy generation. In 2024–25, about 188 MW of solar power was produced in the state, while by March 31 this year, solar power generation capacity of 209 MW is expected to become operational.
MLAs Sukhram Chaudhary and Dr Hansraj had also asked supplementary questions in this regard.
Responding to another question related to energy production raised by BJP MLA from Jandhuta J R Katwal, the Chief Minister said hydropower generation depends on several factors such as water availability, disruptions caused by natural disasters and the problem of silt. Therefore, it is not possible to set a fixed energy production target for any financial year. He said the state has a hydropower generation potential of 22,950 MW, out of which about 13,000 MW is currently being harnessed.
As many as 188 hydropower projects are operational in the state, while 24 are under construction. Five projects are yet to receive approval, while six are entangled in legal disputes and another six have been found unfeasible.
Replying to BJP MLA from Barsar, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Youth Services and Sports Minister Yadvinder Goma said the government would declare the Dr Y.S. Parmar Volleyball Tournament as a state-level competition.
He added that the government is making efforts to provide government jobs under the three per cent sports quota to players who bring laurels to the state at national and international levels.
He also said that although kabaddi is not part of the Olympic Games, the state government will award the prescribed prize money to women players from Himachal who were part of the team that won the Kabaddi World Cup.
Financial assistance is also provided to needy players selected for national and international competitions to meet their participation expenses.
Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, responding to a question by BJP MLA Darang, Puran Chand, said ensuring proper compensation from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to those affected by the Narla–Mandi four-lane road project is a priority for the government.
He said 2,044 families have been affected by the project and the government will raise all such cases with NHAI to ensure relief to the affected people.
Health Minister Col. Dhaniram Shandil replying to question by Congress MLA Kishori Lal said that the shortage of staff at Baijnath Hospital would be addressed soon and the required doctors and equipment would be provided.
He also said that a generator facility would soon be installed at the Adarsh Health Institution in Daulatpur Chowk.
