Locals force work on NH to stop

 A property purchased by a government official near Balamuthia temple in Kangra district stirred a controversy. The official had purchased a small piece of land along the national highway. As he started construction on the site, it attracted the attention and evoked criticism from locals. The local alleged while they were stopped from raising constructions within a distance of 25 feet from the national highway, the official was facing no such restriction. The resistance by locals forced national highway authorities into action who came and stopped the construction.

Sudhir’s desperation?

Having suffered a major drubbing, especially by his supported candidates in the recently concluded municipal corporation elections, former Congress Minister Sudhir Sharma seems to be desperate to somehow impress the electorate before the 2022 Assembly polls. His offer that his house in Dharamsala can be used as a dedicated Covid care hospital is also being viewed with suspect by most. Having been accused of shying away from contesting the Kangra parliamentary polls and later Dharamsala Assembly by-poll at the last minute, the going has been very tough for Sharma since he suffered a defeat in 2017. While his detractors feel that the offer about his house as a Covid care facility only showed his desperation about wooing the electorate, who have consistently rejected him. Even though Congress did not fare badly in the Dharamsala MC poll what came a setback was the victory of half a dozen candidates who neither used his picture in their posters nor invited him to campaign for them.

Much ado about nothing!

Tall claims of having put in place a makeshift hospital to cater to Covid emergencies fell flat at Nalagarh with neither ventilators being operational nor oxygen supply being proper. Health department’s preparedness was exposed when two critically ill patients had to be shifted within hours for want of facilities. Only days ago Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had inspected this facility and had held marathon Covid preparedness meetings at Baddi. This hospital was cited as a major achievement. One wondered how convening field meetings could improve the scenario when deficiencies could not to be addressed in time.