Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of 'Himachal Niketan' which will provide accommodation facilities to the students and residents of Himachal Pradesh visiting New Delhi.
The five-storey 'Himachal Niketan' will be constructed in Dwarka, Delhi at a cost of Rs 57.72 crore. Besides two VIP rooms, there will be 36 general rooms exclusively for the students with all facilities besides 40 other general suites. In addition, there will be three dormitories for the staff. It will also have a facility to park around 53 vehicles and 87 two-wheelers in the basement. There will be 81 rooms in total.
Addressing the people, the Chief Minister said that this would be an additional facility apart from the existing Himachal Bhawan and Himachal Sadan, offering accommodation facility to the Himachalis especially students coming for various competitive examinations held in New Delhi.
Himachal Niketan would exclusively offer comfortable stay to students and favourable atmosphere for studies.
''Apart from existing Himachal Bhawan, Himachal Sadan, which are presently providing stay facilities to the residents of Himachal Pradesh visiting New Delhi for various purposes including availing of medical services at AIIMS, Himachal Niketan will be the third alternative to stay in the national capital'', said the Chief Minister. Every year, several people from Himachal visit other states of the country to spend their winter vacations. Himachal Niketan would be an additional option for their halt in New Delhi, he said.
The PWD has been directed to ensure quality construction and the building would be completed by 2025, said the CM and added that the PWD Minister would also review progress of construction at regular intervals so that timely construction could also be ensured.