‘GOVT WORKING UNDER PRESSURE’

DHARAMSHALA: Expressing concern over the Kasauli incident where a government official heading a demolition drive was shot dead by a hotel owner, former state transport minister GS Bali on Thursday termed the incident a failure of the system and called successive governments responsible for it.

"It's an unfortunate and painful incident that has harmed Himachal's reputation as a peaceful state," said the senior Congress leader while addressing a press conference here. Bali blamed the previous Virbhadra-led Congress government for brining retention policy that sparked illegal construction in the state, adding that the policy proposed to legalise illegal structures was struck down by the Himachal Pradesh high court.

“The policy encouraged people to raise illegal constructions with a hope that they will be regularised and both the BJP and the Congress were supporting the retention. “I had written to Virbhadra, the then chief minister, raising a strong objection on the issue. It is due to vote bank politics that political parties take such irrational decisions,” said Bali. He alleged that the current government was succumbing under pressure from the lobby of hoteliers, who have raised illegal structures, and the Kasauli incident had stemmed from such a situation.

Bali mentioned other instances also, “Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur was in Manali recently to inaugurate the electric bus service to Rohtang Pass following a National Green Tribunal order, but the event was cancelled due to pressure from the taxi operators.”