CM Sukhu credits Minister Anirudh Singh for Naldehra Golf Course upgrade
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
A golf course nestled in the Himalayan hills near Shimla has become the backdrop for a moment of political credit-giving — and a rare slice of personal nostalgia from a sitting Chief Minister. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday, 25 October 2026, recalled his student-days visits to the Naldehra Golf Course and publicly credited state minister Anirudh Singh for driving its expansion to completion.
From student visits to a Cabinet-approved transformation
Sukhu's post carries an unmistakably personal note. 'मैं कॉलेज और यूनिवर्सिटी में पढ़ाई के समय भी नालदेहरा गोल्फ कोर्स आया करता था' — 'I used to visit Naldehra Golf Course even during my college and university days,' he wrote. The course he once frequented as a student has now, he says, grown into a 'beautiful golf course' following an expansion phase that ran from 2012 to 2017.
The Chief Minister was candid about the complexity behind such projects: efforts are required at multiple levels, and Cabinet approval is mandatory before work of this nature can proceed. That institutional weight makes his public attribution all the more pointed — he handed the credit squarely to Minister Anirudh Singh.
Naldehra's colonial roots and its tourism potential
The Naldehra Golf Course is one of Himachal Pradesh's oldest recreational landmarks, originally developed during the colonial era and prized for its panoramic setting above the Shivalik ranges. It has long been a draw for both leisure travellers and serious golfers making the journey to the hills around Shimla.
Himachal Pradesh governments across administrations have periodically backed investment in tourism and recreational infrastructure — golf courses, ropeways, heritage circuits — as part of a broader effort to deepen visitor footfall in hill stations whose economic lifeline runs through tourism. The Naldehra expansion, completed by 2017, fits squarely into that pattern.
A Chief Minister's public hat-tip — and what it signals
In state-level politics, a Chief Minister publicly naming a minister as the driving force behind a completed project is both a mark of recognition and a signal of how the administration wants the achievement remembered. Sukhu's post arrives with a video attached, suggesting the course is being shown to a wider audience — possibly ahead of further announcements on tourism infrastructure in the state.
For Naldehra, the story has moved from colonial legacy to Cabinet-cleared upgrade. The next chapter is whether the footfall follows.