BJP leader Kirron Kher, the incumbent MP of Chandigarh, has bagged the opportunity to contest for the second time from the city after battling it out with other potential contenders. In an interview to BusinessLine, Kher spoke about a host of issues surrounding elections. Excerpts:
Unemployment has been the burning issue in this election. What do you think needs to be done for the youth of Chandigarh?
We want to promote start-ups in Chandigarh to make this city a hub for start-ups just like the Silicon Valley. Companies such as Ola and Über were started by a bunch of entrepreneurs and look how big these companies are today. We want to promote green and non-polluting industries in Chandigarh. We want to encourage enterprises which will help people to come out with new innovations and ideas and provide employment as well as utilise the brain power and intelligence of the youth of the city.
You have been a staunch opposer of the metro project in the city and instead have been batting for getting the mono-rail....
Congress leader Pawan Bansal keeps saying that we need a metro in the city without really analysing the matter. Being the MP of the city, I have held discussions on this with the Centre , the Home Ministry and the Urban Development Ministry. The cost of the metro is ₹14,000 crore and it will take 10-15 years to be implemented. We are a city of 12 lakh people and we won’t be able to recover the investment from tickets and hence its not financially viable. As the Centre had cleared the metro project in 2007, I want to ask Mr Bansal, what happened between 2007-2014? Why wasn’t it constructed? So this is just an issue being raked up during the elections.
Monorail will cost ₹2,400 crore and will not require any digging. To make the metro, we will need to dismantle many markets in the city impacting livelihoods. The monorail will instead have an elevated corridor. Look at Delhi, the metro work is still going on.
What are the other unfinished tasks that you would take up if you come back to power ?
Many things. All markets of Chandigarh have been built at different times and some of these have a second floor while others don’t. Traders need space to store their stocks. So they need a solution to get storage space. Also multi-level parkings are required in the city.
The street vendors and traders issue in Sector -17 need to be solved without impacting livelihoods. Also, I would like to make committees, like I have done for conversion of leasehold properties into freehold, for need-based changes that are required in various policies.
This is one of the rare times when the Hindi film industry has become polarised. Also the party is banking celebrities this elections season. What is the edge that celebrities bring to the table?
Human beings have the right to hold opinions. People are impressed with Modi ji and the work that he has done and they are expressing their opinions on it. Look at Hollywood.. and the way they are polarised and the way they talk....
For instance, look at the southern region. Some of the biggest leaders and Chief Ministers have been film stars. I think what happens is that celebrities already posses the charisma and public speaking skills.. and if you have skills and you are clean then you will know how to administrate... and if you are already famous, you aren’t just hungry for some publicity and that’s a plus point.
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