PALAMPUR, Aug 10: Himachal Irrigation & Public Health Minister Ramesh Chaudhary has admitted that the state government could not absolve itself of its responsibility in the recent massacre of 35 innocent people in Kalaban and Satrundi areas of Chamba by militants.Addressing mediapersons at the PWD rest house here on Sunday evening, the minister said that appropriate steps would be taken by the government in future to safeguard the life and property of the people living in sensitive areas.Blaming the previous Congress government, Chaudhary said incidents liek this had happened in the past but the then Congress government failed to gauge the impending dangers, as a result of which the tragedy struck the state.Raising his finger at nomadic Gujjars settled in the area, the minister said they had links with the militants and were sheltering them secretively. He alleged that the previous government had issued land permits to nomadic Gujjars for grazing their cattle in the pastures.Chaudhary said that since their presence in the area was causing trouble to the innocent people around, the state government was contemplating withdrawing the facility soon.The minister said that henceforth, Kashmiri migrants to Himachal Pradesh would be thoroughly scrutinized to establish their identity before allowing them to stay on.On being asked about the trouble the local BJP was having with the Himachal Vikas Congress, the minister asserted that the issues raised by HVC had been sorted out mutually and as far as CBI inquiry against omissions and commissions allegedly committed by former Congress Chief Minister were concerned, the issues were under the active consideration of the state government.Describing Shanta Kumar as the mentor of BJP in Himachal Pradesh, the minister pointed out that all schemes launched by Shanta Kumar as the Chief Minister during the previous BJP regime, including the establishment of Vivekanand Medical Institute would be carried through. If need be, he would call upon Kangra BJP MLAs to unite for translating the ideas of Shanta Kumar into reality, emphasised Ramesh Chaudhary.
