Principal Advisor, Media to the Chief Minister, Naresh Chauhan said,”It was during the Jai Ram led BJP Government that the proposal to outsource the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) hotels was mooted … even the ministers of the BJP didn’t know about the move.’’ He said that the issue of selling or leasing out the HPTDC hotels to private parties was objected in Vidhan Sabha. He blamed the BJP leaders for tarnishing the image of the State nationwide. “Just to mark their presence in the media and to be in the limelight, five-six Central and State leaders of BJP escalated the issue, criticising the government for not fulfilling its promises and igniting issues as that of Himachal Bhawan in New Delhi and of other HPTDC properties,” he said.”They should rather have taken the adoptive measures during their tenure and it seems that they lacked the administrative and legal knowledge,” he added. Chauhan said that on the issue of paying back the upfront premium to M/s Moser Baer for the hydel power plant proposed over the Chandra-Bhaga river, “we want to clarify again that the company agreed upon to pay Rs 20 lakh per MW in a competitive bid and paid a premium of Rs. 64 crore.”He alleged that the company went to court demanding repayment as it was unable to execute the arbitration agreement to start the project. “We will fight a legal battle for the same wherein Himachal Bhawan was ordered to be attached. The options were open to the government to make a legal move,” he said.”In case of the closure of the HPTDC units, the government will look as to what alternative is more profitable: outsource or renovate projects. A committee has been formed and a senior IAS officer will table the suggestions soon,” he said. “The BJP was almost ready to lease out the tourism properties, particularly the hotels. One bidder was even asked to take over a few tourism units who, as per my knowledge, took a huge loan for the same. This is an issue that must be inquired,” he stated. “The BJP has been trying to defame Himachal in wake of elections being held in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and bye-polls in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh,’’ he said.
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