Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today laid the foundation stone of a new tourism complex at Auhar in Bilaspur district to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 33.75 crores. This complex will feature modern facilities including a hotel block, a food court and a recreational zone. The project is expected to be completed within two years.
The Chief Minister directed the tourism department to ensure the quality of construction work. He said the hotel block would have a reception-cum-waiting area, a restaurant with a seating capacity for 60 people, a conference room for 30 people, a Dham hall for 400 people, a banquet hall for 300 people, rest rooms, kitchen and toilets. The hotel would also offer 40 guest rooms and the food court would accommodate 214 people and feature eight stalls, a pickup area, common toilets for males and females, kid’s play area and a green area.
The recreational zone will boast a swimming pool, a gym and spa, a pantry, a store, back office, and toilet facilities on the ground floor. The first floor will include an indoor games room for pool, a lobby area, four massage rooms, and additional toilet facilities. Additionally, the complex will feature a proposed sewage treatment plant (STP) with a capacity of 50 KLD, including green grassing, royal palm trees, and a sprinkler system.
The Chief Minister said that the new complex will epitomize luxury and cater to tourists with its state-of-the-art facilities. He directed the integration of the tourist complex with water sports activities at Gobind Sagar Lake, including speed boats and sailing boats to enhance the visitor’s experience and attract more tourists to the area.
“The second phase of the complex will be constructed on the opposite side of the road, with both blocks interconnected. This phase will feature an amusement park for children, a food court and other essential amenities and the entire project will cost of Rs 150 crore,” said the Chief Minister.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government was committed to improve the infrastructure and providing world-class facilities for tourists so that they did not face any inconvenience during their stay. He emphasized that tourism was a crucial sector for strengthening the state’s economy and offers significant employment and self-employment opportunities for the youth of the State. The government was making all endeavours to make Himachal Pradesh the top tourism destination, leaving no stone unturned in its efforts.
Later, while talking to the media, the Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the people of Himachal Pradesh for reposing faith in the policies and programmes of the Congress government during Assembly bypolls and increasing the number of Congress seats in the Assembly to 40 once again. He accused the BJP of conspiring to topple the elected government, with Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur repeatedly claiming the formation of two governments at Centre and State which will never materialize.
He said that the people have rejected “Operation Lotus” and the politics of horse-trading by sending six MLAs home, delivering a strong message against BJP’s conspiracy. He asked the Leader of the Opposition and other BJP leaders to learn the lesson from this mandate and adopt a constructive role in the Opposition. He also called on the BJP leaders to advocate for Himachal Pradesh’s interests with the union government.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that development work had been hindered due to the model code of conduct, but assured that the Congress government would resume making decisions for the state’s benefit now that it has concluded.
He also listened to the public grievances on the occasion. Nambardar Jan Kalyan Sangh presented a cheque of Rs. 31,000 to the Chief Minister towards CM Relief Fund.
Town and Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani, former MLAs Babu Ram Gautam and Tilak Raj, Congress leaders Vivek Kumar and Dr. Pushpinder Verma, Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq and other dignitaries were also present.
