Himachal govt de-notifies newly opened electricity offices, BJP warns of legal action

The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday de-notified 32 newly opened electricity offices and a horticulture office, drawing sharp criticism and the threat of legal proceedings from the BJP.The move follows Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhus recent order to review all decisions taken by the previous BJP government after April.

The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday de-notified 32 newly opened electricity offices and a horticulture office, drawing sharp criticism and the threat of legal proceedings from the BJP.

The move follows Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's recent order to review all decisions taken by the previous BJP government after April. The offices were shut down on the basis of that order. While ordering a review of the BJP government's recent decisions, Sukhu had said the projects were announced without any budget provision.

The decision, however, evoked sharp criticism from the BJP, which said that it would approach the courts against it. Terming the move a ''political vendetta'', former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said the offices had been opened after taking all necessary permission and following due process. He added that the BJP would go to court against the decision. Randhir Sharma, spokesperson for the BJP's Himachal Pradesh unit, asked the government to either take back the decision or be ready to face protests. ''Our government took several decisions in the past six to eight months in the public interest and de-notifying all with a single decision is wrong,'' he added.