SHIMLA: Escalating his attack on the previous BJP government, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday alleged that the Jai Ram Thakur-led regime handed over nearly 5,000 bighas of prime industrial land in the Baddi-Nalagarh belt to large industrial houses "for peanuts", causing a massive loss to the state exchequer.
Addressing a public gathering, Sukhu said the people of Himachal would never forgive those who "looted the state's wealth" and asserted that the BJP would not be voted back to power for what he described as the undervaluation of valuable public land.
The Chief Minister claimed that while ordinary citizens are required to pay registration charges and other statutory fees for land transactions, the previous BJP government allotted highly valuable land to major industrialists for just Rs 1 crore, allegedly waiving registration and other charges.
"If the present market value of the land in the Baddi-Nalagarh industrial belt is assessed today, it would run into thousands of crores of rupees," Sukhu alleged, accusing the previous government of sacrificing the state's interests in favour of influential corporate houses.
The Chief Minister said his government was committed to protecting the state's resources and ensuring transparency and accountability in the disposal of public assets.
The BJP has not yet responded to the allegations.
