Congress Govts Delayed Projects, Forced People to Migrate from U’khand Villages: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the successive Congress governments at the Centre and Uttarakhand of dragging their feet for decades over development projects meant for people of the state and forcing them to migrate from their villages. Modi said this inaugurating and laying foundation stones of projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore at Haldwani, including the Rs 5,747 crore multi-purpose Lakhwar project. Modi said the Lakhwar project was thought of in 1974 and took nearly 46 years to see the light of day.

“Wasn’t it sinful on part those who were in power before us to delay the project. Would you forget their sin?” he asked a cheering crowd during an election rally at the MB Inter College ground in Haldwani. Modi inaugurated six projects worth Rs 3,420 crore and laid the foundation stones of 17 others worth Rs 14,127 crore.

The inaugurated projects include three different stretches of the Char Dham all-weather road, which have been widened, Nagina-Kashipur National Highway, Suring Gad hydel project and sewage works under the Namami Gange programme at Nainital. An AIIMS satellite centre for Kumaon worth Rs 500 crore, Moradabad-Kashipur four-lane road, improved road connectivity with Nepal and an Aroma Park in Kashipur are among the key projects whose foundation was laid by the prime minister. The Lakhwar multi-purpose project will produce 300 MW of electricity. The 330 million cubic metres water in its reservoir will supply irrigation and drinking water to six states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.