State Government driving future ready urban development across Himachal: Rajesh Dharmani

Town & Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani today here chaired a review meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA). He said that the projects of HIMUDA were aimed not only at meeting the housing needs of the people but also at creating new sources of revenue for the state.

He said that, given the rapid pace of urbanization, urban development has become a vital pillar of growth strategy of the state. He said that to encourage planned development in the state, efforts are being made to implement ambitious projects such as Him Chandigarh, Him Panchkula and Kangra Valley Aero City.

Rajesh Dharmani said that land for the Him Chandigarh project was being acquired through mutual agreement or land pooling. He said that while keeping environmental conservation in view, a riverfront development project along the Sirsa River was also being prepared. These projects will be developed as future-ready urban centres to promote balanced regional development and reduce the growing pressure of urbanization in the state.

Town & Country Planning Minister further said that innovation was being encouraged across all sectors in Himachal Pradesh. Under the HIMUDA Start-up and Student Innovation Policy, young entrepreneurs will be provided funding of up to Rs. five lakh per proposal. The policy aims to build a strong ecosystem for innovation and start-ups in the state, thereby accelerating economic growth and generating employment opportunities.

He said that keeping in view the geographical conditions of the state, the government was also exploring the possibility of funding start-ups related to disaster management under this policy.

He stressed the importance of information technology and said that an integrated digital platform under HIMUDA’s e-initiative model would be introduced. This would provide stakeholders with online facilities such as allotment, e-drawing and e-auction.

He said that to ensure citizen-centric project delivery HIMUDA was continuously working towards capacity building by providing training to its officers and staff. In addition, experts from various fields are being empanelled to strengthen the Authority’s functioning.