Page 24 - Himachal Pradesh

Eldeco Group to invest Rs 300 cr on housing project in Himachal Pradesh

Realty firm Eldeco Group will invest about Rs 300 crore to develop a ultra-luxury housing project, comprising 80 villas, in Himachal Pradesh to tap rising consumer demand of high-end residential properties in hills. Delhi-based Eldeco Group has bought 30-acre land in Sirmaur district to develop ultra-luxury holiday homes and also established a separate subsidiary 'Terra Garden' to develop such projects across tourist locations. "We acquired 30 acre land parcel on hill few years ago. We will be developing 80 villas in this project," said Amar Kapoor, CEO of Terra Grande by Eldeco Group. The company has launched 35 villas for sale in the first phase. The starting price is Rs 5.5 crore, he added. Kapoor said the company will be investing about Rs 300 crore to develop this project. As per the declaration in registration with RERA, Eldeco Group's arm Terra Grande plans to complete this project in seven years. Kapoor said the company is looking for land parcels to develop such vacation

Bursting of crackers restricted to just 2 hours from 8-10 pm in Himachal

Bursting of firecrackers on Diwali has been restricted to just two hours in Himachal Pradesh to prevent noise and air pollution in the hills and only "green crackers" will be permitted, officials said on Sunday. Although a large number of people in the state have voluntarily shunned the use of chemical fireworks, resulting in the sale of these crackers going down, dealers who procured huge stocks of conventional crackers are unhappy over the ban being imposed at the last hour. According to an order issued by the Shimla deputy commissioner, the use of only "green crackers" would be allowed during the festival and the Department of Environment, Science Technology and Climate Change has granted permission for the use of green firecrackers strictly between 8 pm and 10 pm. Blaming the state government's decision banning conventional firecrackers, a shopkeeper said, "The government should have issued the instructions banning the use of crackers at least a month in advance and completely .

PM Modi in Himachal's Lepcha to celebrate Diwali with security forces

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh to celebrate Diwali with security forces. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has been visiting military facilities to celebrate Diwali. In a post on 'X', the prime minister said, "Reached Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh to celebrate Diwali with our brave security forces." Earlier, he greeted people on Diwali and wished them joy, prosperity and health. "Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali! May this special festival bring joy, prosperity and wonderful health to everyone's lives," Modi said.

Won't campaign in poll-bound states: Sukhu returns to Shimla post treatment

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who was undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, arrived in Shimla on Saturday after 15 days. Talking to the media persons here, Sukhu said he would not campaign in the poll-bound states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana as doctors have advised him to rest for two months. He will, however, start working and meeting with people, the chief minister added. On poll prospects of the Congress, Sukhu said the party was strong in the states going to polls and would emerge victorious. Voting for the Mizoram assembly polls is already over. "The doctors have advised me to take rest, eat light meals at regular intervals, divide work and not to work in continuity without a break," he said. Reiterating that Himachal Pradesh will be made self-reliant in four years and the most prosperous state in the country in the next 10 years, Sukhu said, "We have to get back to work." He added

Rs 300 cr will be spent on tourism, water sports infra in Nadaun: HP Dy CM

Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Sunday said a sum of Rs 300 crore will be spent on the promotion of tourism and water activities in Nadaun-Kaswa and its adjoining areas in the district. Agnihotri was in Hamirpur to attend the closing of the three-day Asian Rafting Championship and distribute prizes to winners. He said the championship will prove to be a milestone in promoting adventure sports and tourism and create a distinct identity for Nadaun on the tourism map, according to a statement. The deputy chief minister said Rs 42 crore would be spent for the construction of hotels, Rs 65 crore for a wellness centre, Rs 3.50 crore for a heliport and Rs 13 crore for wayside amenities. Schemes worth about Rs 300 crore have also been sanctioned through the Jal Shakti department for the area, he added. An e-bus depot is also being opened in Nadaun and this area will receive the first consignment of e-buses coming to the state, the deputy chief minister ...

10 arrests made so far: Himachal Pradesh Dy CM Agnihotri on Crypto fraud

Himachal Deputy CM further appealed to the people not to invest in such frauds when even SEBI did not give clearance

Over 300 crypto fraud complaints received, will take action: Himachal Dy-CM

More than 300 complaints have been received from across Himachal Pradesh in connection with a multi-crore cryptocurrency ponzi scam, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said, referring to the fraud that began in the state in 2018. He had presided over a meeting on Friday to review the action being taken against the perpetrators, who cheated people by promising them high profits on investments within a short span of time, an official statement said. People should guard themselves from falling prey to such ponzi schemes and cryptocurrency frauds, Agnihotri said. "I am observing that complaints have been pouring in from various districts of the state wherein people have been cheated by the kingpin of the cryptocurrency fraud," he said, according to the statement issued on Saturday. He added that more than 300 complaints have been received by the police till date. Ten culprits from Mandi and two from Una have been arrested so far in connection with the case, Agnihotri said. Subhash

HP govt clears Rs 2,500-crore development project of tourism sector

The Himachal Pradesh government has given clearance to a Rs 2,500-crore project for the development of the tourism sector, the state's tourism development corporation's chairperson R S Bali said on Friday. He made the announcement while inaugurating the three-day Asian Rafting Championship in Nadaun in Hamirpur district. The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) chairperson said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has entrusted him with a huge responsibility and that the project worth about Rs 2,500 crore, which will be executed with the help of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has been given clearance. Under the project, detailed project reports have been made for a tourism corporation hotel, wellness centre and water sports centre in Nadaun also, Bali said. Twenty-four teams, including from Nepal, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, the Indian Army, the Border Security Force, and several states such as Karnataka and Sikkim, are taking part in the championship, which ..

Road tax imposed on commercial vehicles entering HP slashed up to 70%

The Himachal Pradesh government has reduced the special road tax (SRT) imposed on the entry of commercial vehicles registered outside the state has been reduced by 6070 per cent, officials said on Tuesday. According to officials a notification in this regard is likely to be issued later in the day. The decision has come as a relief to the tourism industry in the state which had earlier said that the tax on tourist vehicles has made group tours to Himachal unviable for the tour operators and as a result the occupancy levels in hotels have declined. A tax of Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 per day varying on the seating capacity was imposed from September 1, 2023. President Federation of Himachal hotels and Restaurant Associations (FOHHRA) Gajender Thakur had earlier said that levying taxes on entrance of commercial vehicles carrying tourists in the state at this point of time when the tourism industry has suffered heavy damage due to the recent monsoon season will further crumble the tourism .

SIT conducts searches at 41 locations in Himachal in cryptocurrency scam

The SIT probing the alleged multi-crore cryptocurrency scam conducted searches at 41 different locations in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday and arrested one of the main accused Abhishek Sharma, who was evading arrest, police said on Sunday. Abhishek, a resident of Una district was one of the main four accused in the scam that started in 2018 when the alleged fraudsters approached people with an investment plan related to a locally made (Mandi district) cryptocurrency known as "Korvio Coin" or KRO coin, police said. Earlier, two main accused Sukhdev and Hemraj were held in Gujarat, and during investigations, the duo confessed they have outstanding liabilities of Rs 400 crore. The alleged kingpin of the scam, Subash, is still at large and is reportedly hiding in Dubai. Abhishek was apprehended by the SIT and produced in a court, which remanded him to five-day police custody, a statement issued by the police said. Searches were conducted at 25 places in Hamirpur, seven in Kangra, four in .

CM Sukhu distributes Rs 8.97 cr compensation to disaster-affected families

He provided Rs 3 lakh each as the first instalment to 94 affected families whose houses were completely damaged during the disaster in the district of Bilaspur

BJP demands white paper from Sukhu govt on work done during tenure so far

The Himachal Pradesh BJP on Tuesday lashed out at Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for constantly blaming the party for his government's failures and demanded that the Congress dispensation bring out a white paper on the work done during its tenure so far. In a statement issued here, BJP state president Rajeev Bindal said the people are still waiting for the Congress to fulfil its pre-poll promises. Sukhu and his cabinet have developed a habit of blaming the BJP for their failures. Sukhu should not forget that the Congress is in power in the state and not the BJP, he said. "You cannot escape by constantly blaming and cursing the BJP", he added. The BJP leader demanded that the Sukhu government publish a white paper on the work done by it during its 10-month tenure so far. Reminding the Congress of its pre-poll promises, Bindal said, "You had made so many promises to people and the same people are waiting for the fulfilment of these guarantees." Ahead of the assembly polls la

HP: Lahaul-Spiti village land sinks, residents seek geological survey

With nine of the 16 houses in Lindur village in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul and Spiti district developing cracks due to land sinking, the residents have sought a geological survey to ascertain the reason behind the subsidence. The around 70 village residents are forced to sleep in the open as they fear their houses may collapse. Moreover, their agricultural land has also been damaged due to fissures, the villagers said. "Cracks were noticed in the periphery of the village in June/July and have widened and spread, endangering houses. Nine out of 16 houses in the village have developed cracks and four of them have been declared unsafe," Sarita, Pradhan of Goharama Gram Panchayat told PTI. The seepage of water from the nearby Jahmala nullah which gets flooded every year could be responsible for the cracks but it can only be ascertained by a survey of the Geological Department. We have requested the authorities to get a geological survey of the area done, she added. Cracks have developed

India vs New Zealand: BJP, Congress leaders attend match in Dharamshala

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur and BJP national president J P Nadda were in attendance

State now paying rain fury compensation from central funds: Anurag in HP

"The state government should make public the amount it sanctioned as financial assistance to the affected people during the first two months of the rain-induced calamity"

Sukhu releases Rs 9.72 cr to 324 affected families for house construction

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday released the first instalment of Rs 9.72 crore as special relief to 324 affected families in Kullu district for construction of houses. The state government provided the aid under its rehabilitation initiative 'Punrvaas' to families whose houses were completely damaged in rain-related disasters during the June 24 to September 30 period, a statement issued here said. An amount of Rs 3 lakh each was released to the 324 affected families through the direct benefit transfer method, it said. The Himachal government has announced a special relief package of Rs 4,500 crore for people affected by rain-related disasters during the monsoon season. He said over 75,000 stranded tourists were evacuated safely during the monsoon season. The state suffered a loss of more than Rs 12,000 crore and about 16,000 houses were damaged, out of which 13,000 were completely destroyed, Sukhu said. A third team of the central government has

ICMR explores drone use for medical supply transport in Himachal Pradesh

This initiative aims to explore the use of drones for transporting critical medical supplies such as medications, diagnostic blood samples, and sputum, according to an official release

Himachal govt to reduce special road tax on tourist vehicles: CM Sukhu

The Chief Minister urged those associated with tourism industry, to ensure their participation and co-operate making Himachal Pradesh 'a green and a clean state'

Over 1,000 HP cops fell victim to crypto fraud, quit jobs to promote it

Over a thousand police personnel fell victim to a fake local cryptocurrency created by fraudsters in Himachal's Mandi district, an official said on Thursday. A majority of the police personnel who invested in the fake cryptocurrency were duped of crores of rupees, but some of them made huge gains, became promoters of the scheme, and roped in more investors for it, according to investigators of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the scam. According to police, at least one lakh people have been duped by the fraudsters in the cryptocurrency fraud, and 2.5 lakh IDs have been found which included multiple IDs of the same person. To get investors, the scammers launched two cryptocurrencies 'Korvio Coin' (or KRO) and DGT Coin' and created fake websites with manipulated prices of these digital currencies. They lured the initial investors by promising them high returns in a short span of time. They also created a network of investors, who further expanded the chain

11 parties collect Rs 2,077 cr in funds for Gujarat, HP polls of 2022: ADR

The ADR analysis is based on the election expenditure statements that political parties must submit to the Election Commission within 75 days of completion of Assembly elections