Medical device park in Himachal to provide 10,000 jobs, state Assembly told

The Medical Device Park being set up on 265 acres in Solan district would create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, Himachal Pradesh Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan told the state assembly on Tuesday.

The upcoming park in Manjholi village panchayat under Nalagarh assembly constituency would provide direct and indirect employment to 10,000 persons, Chauhan said in response to a question.

The minister said that the state government will bear the entire expenditure on the project which is expected to be completed by December 31, 2025.

No technical sanction was pending and there is possibility of setting up 65 industrial units under the project, he added.

Meanwhile, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed the state assembly that 2,708 cases of forest fires were reported during six months of the current year ending June 2024, but there was no loss of human life.

In reply to another question of BJP member Sukh Ram Chowdhary, the chief minister said that out of 55 hotels run by Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), 35 incurred losses during the past one year.

He said that 20 hotels were in profit but 35 hotels, including Shiwalik, Parwanoo, Ros Common, Kasauli, Hotel Apple Blossom, Fagu, Hotel Golf Glade, Naldehra, Hotel Dhauladhar, Dharamshala and Willy's Park Shimla, incurred losses.

In reply to a question of Satpal Singh Satti, Bikram Singh and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (all BJP legislatures), the chief minister said that as many as six FIRs were registered and eight persons allegedly involved in fires were booked and investigations are in progress.

He added that forest fires were not the cause of deaths of wildlife animals like leopard, bear, deer, Samber, and birds like Monal and Jujurana.

The forest department was following the 2018 guidelines to prevent forest fires, he said, adding that burning was controlled on 6,768 hectares of forest land ahead of summers, besides clearing 1,096 km long fire lines and removal of heaps of pine needles.