Governance has taken a back seat in Himachal as C M is busy fighting the corruption allegations

Governance has taken a back seat in Himachal as C M is busy fighting the corruption allegations

Vijyender Sharma

SHIMLA---Several corruption allegations are testing the chief minister in what is probably his last term. Meanwhile, the state fares poorly in infrastructure, jobs, industry and investments. Given the state of affairs, Singh's political legacy looks shaky

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in these day busy fighting a series of corruption allegations levelled against him, governance has taken a back seat in the state. Even the stay order on his arrest granted by the Shimla High Court is under a cloud, with the CBI challenging it in the Supreme Court last week. After that Case Shifted to Delhi High Court.

At 82 years, Singh, a six-time chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, has fallen on bad days and so have the state's fortunes. The state's woes have been exacerbated as its major revenue earner, hydropower projects, of late, have found no takers. By stalling a power hike for the next five years, the state government hopes that low-cost power will attract investors.

But in the recently released a report, Himachal Pradesh ranks a poor 17th and is categorised as a state in need of a 'jump-start' and with a poor implementation record. The report elaborates that although the state government does have a single-window clearance system, which gives preliminary approval to all new industrial projects, this is not time-bound.

This hampers the setting up of any new business. What has made the government jittery is that with the Planning Commission getting dismantled, Himachal Pradesh might lose its Special Category status - also enjoyed by Uttarakhand and the northeastern states - and thereby, a large chunk of the central funds. The state is on the verge of a debt trap and like the other Congress chief ministers, Singh has been complaining about the cut in the central funds.

For a state which leads in the social indicators of health and education, the funds crunch has apparently hit schemes for housing, rural electrification and MGNREGA.

According to a political observer from the state, the present government has failed to exploit the state's tourism potential to the fullest. "Unemployment is at an all-time high, with more than one million jobless in a population of 6.85 million, and most crucially, adequate infrastructure has not been developed," says the observer.

The last flight that flew into Shimla was in September 2012 - the state capital has practically no air connectivity. What is more appalling is that the main industrial belt in Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh has no rail or air connectivity. With such poor connectivity, the state is an unattractive proposition for industries - the crucial generators of employment anywhere. What has shackled industry - and investors - is also the difficulty of acquiring land in the hill state. In a bid to alleviate its dismal economic situation, Singh has been holding a series of meetings with investors called 'Emerging Himachal'.

"Despite being embroiled in legal tangles, the CM sat through from 10 am to 8 pm at the recent meet in New Delhi and spoke to prospective investors," says a government official. The state government claims it has bagged proposals to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore, with big names such as Walmart keen to set up shop there. The government also announced plans of developing industrial zones in Kandrori, Kangra, Solan and Pandoga.

Singh is possibly in the midst of his toughest term as CM. His grip is slackening, say party insiders, with as many as 15 dissidents among the 36 Congress MLAs in the state. Knowing that 'Raja Saheb' is possibly in his last term in office, partymen are playing the wait-and-watch game.

 Foremost among the CM contenders is Health Minister and former state Congress chief Kaul Singh Thakur. Also waiting in the wings is All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and Dalhousie MLA Asha Kumari. Even senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, who has no grassroots support in the state and is a known Virbhadra Singh baiter, fancies his chances in the hot seat.

 Singh, the erstwhile royal from the Rampur-Bushair estate in Shimla, has throughout his several terms as CM, ruled with an iron hand. He has, on several occasions, publicly stated that he was the tallest leader in the state, thereby challenging the supremacy of the party high command. Consequently, he does not share close relations with the party's top leadership; only his ability to win elections has worked in his favour.

If the court cases get further complicated and the legal noose tightens around Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi would not hesitate to snap ties with him," an AICC insider says. "Corruption allegations have already taken a toll on the Congress and it cannot be seen to protect him."

The state goes to polls in December 2017 and even though Singh would like his political legacy to be taken forward by his son - Singh's wife is already a three-time MP - the chances that Singh will call the shots look bleak.