Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 15 (ANI): On the occasion of the country’s 79th Independence Day, Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister, Mukesh Agnihotri, hoisted the tricolour at the historic Ridge Ground in Shimla on Friday and extended greetings to the people of the state and the nation.
On the occasion, Agnihotri said, “This programme has been held at the historic Ridge Ground. On this occasion, we wish to extend Independence Day greetings to the people of the state. From here, we have also presented before the public how the Government of Himachal Pradesh is working for the state’s development. We remember those who contributed to India’s freedom struggle, and also recall that Himachal Pradesh has four Param Vir Chakra recipients for service to the nation, as well as many other gallantry awardees.”
“We honour those soldiers and freedom fighters, and especially those who wrote the saga of Himachal’s development, including Dr. Y.S. Parmar, who founded Himachal Pradesh, and Virbhadra Singh Ji, who built modern Himachal in its present form,” he added. 
Agnihotri detailed several ongoing and upcoming development projects in Shimla and across the state. He highlighted that the health sector in Shimla is being upgraded with the installation of PET scan facilities, large-scale procurement of medical equipment under MRI projects, and a complete replacement of health machinery across the state.
“We are purchasing 1,000 buses for the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation, perhaps the largest such procurement by any government, because our state lacks adequate rail connectivity and has limited air connectivity. HRTC is a lifeline for lakhs of people,” he said.
The Deputy CM announced that a major transport terminal project in Shimla, costing around Rs 2,000 crore, is in the works, and the Ridge Ground is being expanded with Rs 67 crore. Four large parking facilities are being built in the city.
For apple growers, Agnihotri said that the pending dues of the apple farmers.
“We have released the entire Rs 153 crore package for apple producers, which included Rs 90 crore in arrears left unpaid by the previous BJP government. Large-scale cold storages are being set up in Rohru and Gumma,” he said.
Agnihotri emphasised the state’s social responsibility initiatives, noting that the government has adopted children who have lost their parents, bearing their expenses.
Addressing the issue of natural calamities, he said the state has been suffering due to the floods and rain during the past two to three years.
“In the past years, we have suffered losses worth Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000 crore due to disasters. This year alone, losses have crossed Rs 2,000 crore, with severe damage to our water supply schemes. We are requesting the Centre for assistance. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, Rs 1,200 crore is pending and not yet released. We want this money to come quickly so that we can speed up work,” he said.
The Deputy CM admitted that Shimla’s water supply has been hit by recent floods, damaging the Gumma and Giri water supply schemes.
“Over the next 48 hours, Shimla residents may face water shortages due to this damage. Two major water supply schemes are underway — one almost complete and another costing Rs 900 crore, expected to be completed by 2028. Once finished, these will replace the old British-era pipelines that were built for a much smaller population,” he said, adding that around Rs 2,000 crore would be spent on the city’s water supply.
Agnihotri also mentioned ongoing temple restoration works worth Rs 500 crore at prominent shrines such as Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi, Baba Balak Nath, and Naina Devi.
He announced the establishment of a Biotech Drug Park in the state, costing Rs 2,000 crore.
“This will ensure smooth supply of medicines and reduce dependency on imports, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when we had to bring supplies from China and the USA.” Deputy CM said.
“We have launched awareness campaigns and strengthened the law. The fine has been increased to Rs 10 lakh, provision has been made for confiscation of property, and stringent NDPS Act provisions have been enforced, especially against those involved in synthetic drug use. This is a major challenge, and all efforts are being made to tackle it,” he said.
Agnihotri noted that continuous rains are causing day-to-day problems, particularly in the urban water supply. “The government is working around the clock to restore damaged schemes and is considering relocating key components of major water projects to safer locations to avoid repeated monsoon damage.” (ANI)
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