SHIMLA: As the Centre rolled out accolades and a hefty ₹2,247 crore sanction under PMGSY-IV for Himachal Pradesh’s rural road network, a fresh political contrast emerged within the ruling Congress camp.
While Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh appeared to bask in the Narendra Modi-led Centre’s praise for the PWD’s performance, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu continued to maintain that the hill state was being “ignored” financially by the Centre.
The Union Ministry of Rural Development recently selected Himachal Pradesh PWD for a national award under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), recognising the state’s performance in expanding rural connectivity.
The department also secured a massive ₹2,247 crore sanction under PMGSY-IV for construction of nearly 2,300 km of roads to connect 429 unconnected habitations across the state.
Ironically, the development comes at a time when Chief Minister Sukhu has repeatedly accused the Centre of discriminating against Himachal in releasing disaster relief and development funds after repeated natural calamities battered the state. Political circles are now abuzz over the contrasting optics — with Vikramaditya Singh publicly highlighting “robust coordination” with the Centre for infrastructure expansion, while the Chief Minister continues his aggressive pitch of alleged central neglect.
The PWD minister termed the PMGSY-IV approval a “historic step” for remote Himachal and credited engineers and workers for building over 22,000 km of roads under PMGSY in difficult mountain terrain. The state’s total road network has now crossed 42,779 km.
The political messaging, however, has triggered whispers within Congress circles, with many wondering whether Vikramaditya’s growing proximity with central ministries and his development-centric narrative is subtly overshadowing Sukhu’s confrontational stand against the BJP-led Centre.
Observers say the latest development has handed the BJP fresh ammunition to counter the Congress government’s “fund starvation” allegations, especially after the Centre publicly honoured Himachal’s PWD performance and cleared one of the biggest rural road packages for the state in recent years.
