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New assembly building for Haryana: No one-sided decision will be taken, says Purohit
Haryana has sought a 10-acre plot in Chandigarh for constructing another building of its Vidhan Sabha and offered a 10-acre site in Panchkula in exchange; Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party and other political parties have opposed the proposal, saying Chandigarh belongs to Punjab alone
Amid the row over an additional assembly building for Haryana here, Chandigarh administrator and Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on Thursday said no one-sided decision will be taken on the matter and Punjab will be taken into confidence.
At the Northern Zone Council meeting in Jaipur in July, Union home minister Amit Shah had announced land in Chandigarh for setting up the additional building for the Haryana assembly, kicking off a political storm in Punjab that always claims Chandigarh is its inalienable part.
At present, Punjab and Haryana share the Vidhan Sabha building in Chandigarh, the joint capital of both states.
Haryana has sought a 10-acre plot in Chandigarh for constructing another building of its Vidhan Sabha and offered a 10-acre site in Panchkula in exchange. It has identified land adjacent to the traffic lights near the railway station road junction on Madhya Marg for the building.
The grouse of Haryana, carved out of Punjab on November 1, 1966, has been that there is space crunch in the current assembly complex, which cannot even accommodate Haryana’s 90 MLAs and that the Punjab assembly continues to be in possession of some 20 rooms allotted to Haryana. Besides, the present building doesn’t have space for ministers and Vidhan Sabha committees, and it cannot be expanded due to its heritage status.
Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party and other political parties have opposed the proposal, saying Chandigarh belongs to Punjab alone.
Following Shah’s announcement, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had also sought an identical deal for the border state from the Centre, seeking not only a separate land for the construction of the assembly but also bifurcation of the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Recently, Haryana speaker Gian Chand Gupta met Purohit and the two discussed the land allotment issue. But Purohit said, “No decision has been taken yet.”
On political parties in Punjab opposing the proposal, he said when a conversation takes place on this issue, it will be with both states. “There will be no one-sided decision,” Purohit said, adding that Punjab will be taken into confidence in the matter.
‘Movement of drones from Pakistan concerning’
Purohit also expressed concern over the frequent movement of drones from Pakistan’s side into the Indian territory for the smuggling of narcotics and weapons.
“It is a matter of concern,” he said, stressing the Punjab Police needed to pull up its socks and strengthen police stations in the border districts.
Purohit had in September visited the border districts and held a detailed discussion with the officials of the administration, police, Border Security Force, army and other agencies.
