Haryana should get additional assembly building in Capitol Complex: Hooda
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that state government should make efforts to get additional space for Haryana assembly in Capitol Complex, adjacent to the existing assembly precincts
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday said that the state government should make efforts to get additional space for Haryana assembly in the Capitol Complex, adjacent to the existing assembly precincts.
The Leader of the Opposition, who had voiced opposition to the state’s proposed move to pay Chandigarh administration about ₹550 crore for buying a 10-acre piece in the union territory for constructing a new assembly building, told the HT that even Haryana’s latest proposal to go in for exchange of land was unacceptable.
“The Panchkula land proposed to be exchanged is high valued. It also has a cost. Whether it is in the shape of land or cash, the state government would be paying something from the coffers,’’ Hooda said reacting to HT’s interview of chief minister ML Khattar.
The chief minister during an interview to Hindustan Times had said the state government is contemplating a model where instead of paying money for getting the land chunk allotted in Chandigarh, the government will swap the Chandigarh piece of land with a similarly valued chunk in the bordering Panchkula’s Saketri. Hooda, however, said that this would weaken the claim of Haryana over Chandigarh. “We should get an extension of the existing assembly constructed. It is possible,’’ the former CM said.
The Leader of the Opposition said that even heritage buildings have been altered. “The Punjab and Haryana High court has got constructed low-height structures. Look at the Parliament Building in Lutyen’s Delhi, where an annexe had been constructed. And now an entirely new Parliament is being built. That’s also a heritage building,’’ he said.
Hooda said that the government has to think in terms of the requirements of the present and the future. “Get the requisite approvals for alterations. After all, we just have to construct a Vidhan Bhawan having a larger seating capacity. Also, we should claim our full 40% share in the existing assembly building,’’ the Congress leader said.
‘File contempt petition against Punjab’
Regarding the non-implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision with regards to the completion of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) by Punjab, the former chief minister said the state government should file a contempt of court petition against Punjab. “The SC decision has attained finality. So, the only alternative left with us to file a contempt petition against Punjab,’’ Hooda said.
The former CM, reacting to Punjab’s demand for setting up a new tribunal to assess the availability of river water, said that Punjab should give Haryana its share of water. “We are not asking for Punjab’s share of river water but ours,’’ he said.
He said that the law and order situation in the state was deteriorating day by day. “The MLAs are getting death threats and the common man feels unsafe. The state of affairs is adversely affecting the flow of investment in Haryana,’’ Hooda said.
He said that soon block Congress committees and Pradesh Congress Committee would be constituted.
Commenting on Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi’s impending switch to the BJP, the former chief minister said that neither Bishnoi’s entry into the BJP would bring gains for the saffron party nor his exit from the Congress would harm us.
He said that the BJP-led government should have enforced the power purchase agreement (PPA) with Adani Power Ltd instead of succumbing and deciding to ink a supplementary PPA which will lead to the loss of about 200 MW of electricity to the state. “It’s the government’s job to get the PPA implemented. Why they have dithered on this,’’ he said.
