SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh govt has proposed a township at Jathia Devi near Shimla. A proposal in this regard has already been submitted to the Union ministry of housing & urban affairs.
The estimated cost of the project, including land acquisition, is Rs 1,374 crore, town and country planning minister Rajesh Dharani stated in a written reply to Sudhir Sharma, the Congress MLA from Dharamshala.
As per the proposed funding pattern, the ministry of housing & urban affairs will contribute Rs 512 crore and state govt will pay Rs 862 crore, the minister added.
Sharma had sought information on whether govt had proposed a new township at Jathiya Devi near Shimla.
Dharani further stated that the residential occupancy of the township in the next 5-10 years would be around 80%, that is, 20,000 persons. He said the mountain township was proposed for 25,000 persons as a new emerging counter magnet town for Shimla city.
He said new investment would generate about 6,600 direct employments and an equal number of indirect job opportunities, considering the 40% work participation ratio.
The minister said based on the land use plan and infrastructure plan, a financial model had been generated and approximate viability gap funding from the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs was of Rs 512 crore. He said the balance project cost would be borne by the HIMUDA and state govt.
Dharani said funds would be generated through sale of property, borrowing and public-private partnership (PPP) mode, as per the requirement.
A new intra-state bus terminal (ISBT)/satellite bus stand has been proposed within the project area, so that the people travelling to Chandigarh/Delhi and tourist destinations like Kullu, Manali, Shimla and other districts of Himachal Pradesh don’t have to enter Shimla city, he said.
The minister also informed that the township would be spread over 135 hectares. He said state govt had 35 hectares of land, which was 25.92% of the total area; 2,065 hectares of land would be made available through HIMUDA while 14.35 hectares was also owned by govt.
Dharani said three residential zones of high income group (HIG), middle income group (MIG) and low income group (LIG) have been proposed on 55.16 hectares of land at Jathiya Devi. He said a utility/service/amenities zone had been proposed on 4.02 hectares of land and an industrial zone/non-polluting (manufacturing and service) industry on 15.7 hectares.
He also said 16.56 hectares of land had been proposed for green zone/river development zone along the existing nullah. Also, 13.36 hectares has been proposed for commercial activity and 16.42 hectares for recreational green zone, the minister added.
