With people showing interest in purchasing flats and acquiring land in Himachal Pradesh, the expected turnover of Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA) is expected to double from Rs 125 crore last year to almost Rs 250 crore.
Town and Country Planning and Housing Minister Rajesh Dharmani chaired a review meeting of the HIMUDA in Shimla on Saturday.
“Given the rapid pace of urbanisation, urban development has become a vital pillar of the growth strategy of the state. 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,” he said.
Dharmani said there is a lot of potential for these high-end townships, and a lot of queries are coming to HIMUDA, which reflects an encouraging response from consumers. The process of land acquisition is underway and international consultants are being appointed to plan these modern cities, he added.
The Minister said 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,” he said.
He said there is a lot of scope for constructing housing colonies at several places, including Shimla, Solan, Dharamshala and at some new locations in Sirmour, Bilapur, Kangra and Kullu and Mandi.
“HIMUDA has about 7,000 bighas of land near Baddi, but elsewhere in the state, there is only 250 bighas of land, which is inadequate. Efforts are on to get land through mutually agreeable rates, where we would want land owners to offer land to us on their own, or else we will acquire through land pooling,” he stated.
The Minister informed that 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.
He said that, keeping in view the state’s geographical conditions, the government was also exploring the possibility of funding start-ups related to disaster management under this policy.
