Tourist facilitation centre worth Rs 35 lakh, built on the Hamirpur-Bilaspur border in Himachal Pradesh, has been left to decay for the last 15 years. The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) was supposed to manage the complex, which was constructed to offer wayside facilities to commuters on the Shimla-Dharamsala National Highway. However, the HPTDC did not consider the location to be feasible and failed to operate it for several years.
The complex, located in Ukhali village, has a large dining hall, kitchen, two washrooms, staff accommodation, and a small pond with concrete stairs for tourists to sit. The building is lying in shambles as the government did not hire a caretaker. The hall’s ceiling is damaged, windowpanes and doors are broken, and wild grass has outgrown its tiled entrance and lawns. The absence of a caretaker has turned the building into a hub for tipplers and drug addicts, according to Uttam Singh, an Ukhali resident.
Ravi Dhiman, District Tourism Officer, said that HPTDC leased the complex to a private operator who did not show up. The complex was later handed over to the IPH Department for conversion into an inspection hut. Dev Raj Chauhan, IPH Executive Engineer, Barsar, stated that a proposal for Rs 1 crore for funding was sent to the government, but it was rejected. Hence, the complex couldn’t be put to any use.
The neglect of the centre has caused much frustration among the locals, who believe it could have been a major stopover for commuters. The potential the complex held, given its strategic location on the highway, has been entirely wasted. The government’s reluctance to fund the centre’s operation has not only led to the squandering of public money but has also deprived commuters of necessary facilities. The building stands as a monument to the authorities’ apathy and lack of concern for public welfare.
The situation highlights the need for greater accountability and responsibility from the government’s side, both in terms of ensuring that public funds are utilized properly and in providing essential services to its citizens. The centre’s current state represents an egregious failure of duty, one that the government must work to rectify as soon as possible.
This news was first reported by Dinesh Kanwar on Tribune and from their inputs we wrote this report.
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The Chenab Times News Desk