Shimla, March 19 -- Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told the House that his government has begun removing officials with doubtful integrity (ODI) from sensitive and key government posts. Responding to a query by Una BJP MLA Satpal Singh Satti, Sukhu told the assembly that he believes in action over mere assurances and that officials involved in corruption are being directly removed. According to government data, three officials on the ODI list, tehsildar Vijay Kumar Rai, OSD Yudhvir Singh Thakur,and Rai Bahadur Singh, were serving on extension or re-employment. Satti questioned why these officials were retained and whether the ODI list had been shared with the Himachal Pradesh high court. While the chief minister said he was unaware of any high court request, he confirmed that two officials, Mahender Lal, senior superintendent in the revenue department, and Rai Bahadur Singh, had recently been excluded from the category and reiterated that all those remaining on the list would be stripped of key postings. The ODI tag is given to bureaucrats facing vigilance inquiries or those with a history of corruption. This move is seen as a strategic rebuttal to the BJP's narrative, allowing the CM to frame his administration around a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption. Meanwhile, the Himachal government on Wednesday evening issued order which clarifies no extension of service or fresh appointment shall be granted to any official or employee whose integrity is under question. In the order, the chief secretary noted that in certain instances, extensions and re-employment had been granted even to officials whose integrity was open to question. Taking this matter seriously, all departments have been directed to take immediate action. War of words erupted between chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur over "wasteful expenditure on construction of building worth Rs.1 crore thatare lying vacant", during the motion of thanks on governor's address. Hitting out at the predecessor BJP government, terming it as "contractors ke mitr", CM Sukhu said that Jai Ram Thakur during his tenure as CM spent Rs.1,000 crore for construction of buildings solely to appease his " mitr contractors". "The previous BJP government departed, leaving behind numerous vacant buildings worth crores of rupees across the state; the former administration had no concrete plans regarding the utilisation of these structures," said CM. To which former CM Jai Ram Thakur, retaliated, saying, "Buildings are made for people and not for contractors. If buildings were constructed, they were built on public demand. It is now the responsibility of the present government to make them functional. Shutting them down is not in the spirit of governance continuity." Speaking about Shivdham project, Sukhu said, "Your dream project Shivdham in Mandi is being executed by us. We have allocated funds to complete the unfinished buildings. We have also released the necessary budget for the Shiv Dham project and we are committed to bringing it to completion as well." Replying, Jai Ram said, "The Congress government stalled the Rs.200 crore Shivdham project for two years and now by paying a merger amount of Rs.15 crore they are claiming to complete the project." "The leader of Opposition is under pressure due to infighting within the BJP and is presenting incorrect facts just to oppose the government," CM Sukhu said while speaking with reporters after the session. "Due to internal factionalism, the opposition is unable to play a constructive role, and the Leader of Opposition appears under stress," accusing the opposition of being ineffective, Sukhu added. Jai Ram Thakur criticised the state government over the governor's address, alleging it lacked substance and focused largely on attacking the Centre. Speaking to the media after the session, Thakur said, "The governor completed the address in just over two minutes because the language used against the central government was not appropriate. I support his decision," said Jai Ram....