HP Cong doubts efficacy of investors meet in state

Himachal Pradesh Congress leader Mukesh Agnihotri on Wednesday doubted the efficacy of the two-day global investors meet in the state, accusing Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur of holding it to conceal his failures.

The two-day summit, meant to attract investors to the state, is being held in Dharamshala and will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

Doubting the efficacy of the global investors meet, Agnihotri said the chief minister should rather demand from the prime minister a special package for the state besides getting its loan of Rs 60,000 crore waived.

Agnihotri, also the leader of opposition in the Himachal Pradesh assembly, said it does not matter if leaders of opposition parties are invited to the meet, but the issue is whether the meet will bring any investment at all to the state in absence of the requisite infrastructure.

"To attract investment, the state should have dependable road, rail and air links. But no work has been done on the expansion of three airports of Shimla, Dharamshala and Kullu in the state," said Agnihotri.

He said the BJP even fought the assembly elections, making "big promises of strengthening the network of national highways in the state at a cost of Rs 65,000 crore, but "there is absolutely no road in sight" here, said Agnihotri.

"The state government should clear the situation on this to the public, he added.