Shimla, April 17 -- Former BJP state president Suresh Kashyap on Thursday criticised the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government over "delays" in completion of the Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh National Highway project and accused it of derailing it. Kashyap said the facts presented by the Union ministry of road transport and highways have completely exposed the state government's failure, making it clear that the project did not stall on its own, but was derailed due to the state's inability to deliver even basic requirements like land. The Centre shared this information with Kashyap in reply to a question he submitted about the project during the recent session. "The contractor didn't leave the project-the state government pushed him out by failing to provide land and clearances on time," Kashyap said. "National Highways Authority of India had no option but to foreclose its contract with Patel Infrastructure, after repeated bottlenecks created by the state machinery made execution impossible," he further claimed. "If a government cannot even provide land for a national highway, what development can it deliver?" he questioned. In contrast, he praised the central government for stepping in: "While the state created hurdles, Centre is cleaning up the damage-fresh tenders initiated and maintenance agencies deployed to keep the road functional." Responding, Naresh Chauhan, principal media adviser to chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, said, "The state government has awarded compensation for land acquisition and also received praise from Union minister Nitin Gadkari. The contractor leaving the work has nothing to do with land acquisition, State's role was to provide money for land acquisition, which we have done."htc...