Hand over assembly complex in Dharamshala to Central University of Himachal Pradesh: Shanta

Senior BJP leader and parliamentarian Shanta Kumar demanded Saturday that the assembly complex here be handed over to Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), which does not have a permanent campus even eight years after its establishment.

Kumar, a former Union minister and chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, said the assembly complex remains unutilized for the most part of the year, hence it can be used by the university.

The assembly complex in Dharamshala, outside state capital Shimla, was inaugurated on 25 December 2006 by then chief minister Virbhadra Singh.

The winter session of the Himachal Pradesh assembly is held here every year.

Addressing the media, Kumar said, "The complex was built at a cost of Rs 7-8 crore and such a huge structure lies unused for the most part of the year. And Rs 1.5-2 crore is being spent for a period of just four days (during winter session) annually. This is a criminal waste of public money."

"This is the right time to rectify our mistake and the complex should be handed over to the university," he said, adding that the complex was a "white elephant".

The 83-year-old BJP leader rued that Indian democracy has not matured even after 70 years of Independence and there is opposition just for sake of opposing everything.

"It is happening everywhere, leaders are involved in politics of confrontation instead of cooperating with the government and there is opposition for the sake of opposition only. Our leaders need to introspect and change their attitude," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)