Talking to ENS on sidelines of an event in Baddi, V.S. Kokje, Governor of Himachal Pradesh, said, “Since parts of the road to Baddi fall in Haryana, Punjab and Himachal, coordination between the governments is long awaited by us to carry the work forward. The two states need to talk among themselves and find a solution to this problem and only then can infrastructure be developed together. Now that the new government has taken charge in Himachal, things might move ahead on this front.”

He added, “The border areas should also be developed in a regulated manner so that the industry can flourish well in all the neighboring states.”

Where Punjab has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court against the tax concessions given by the Central government to the state of Himachal Pradesh, the HP Governor supports the industrial package. There has been a major exodus of capital and industries in all sectors from Punjab to Baddi in Himachal, leading to a decline in the industrial growth of Punjab. Commenting upon this, Kokje said, “It’s not only the industrial package that attracted the industry to Himachal, but there are several other factors contributing to this. The government has to have a strategy for industrial development. Private players are coming forward to build residential townships in Baddi and they should also take initiatives in the field of infrastructure development, education, medical facilities, etc.”