Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said that a detailed plan has been prepared to deal with the problem of water-logging in the state.
A special scheme would be started by the end of December and a dedicated portal for the same would be launched in January. The State Government has planned to deal with this problem on a large scale, the Chief Minister said this while replying to a question raised on the first day of the winter session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha.
The Chief Minister said that the problem of water-logging is not new to the state and a large area is affected due to this. There is a problem of water-logging in about 4 to 5 lakh acres of land.
Therefore, the State Government has made a plan to deal with the problem of water-logging initially on one lakh acres of land, he said
The Chief Minister said that in January, applications will be sought from the farmers through the dedicated portal. The farmers who will register first, work will be started there to solve this problem.
Drainage of water will be done by pipe, drain or according to the prevailing conditions in the concerned area, he added.
Opposition legislators raise farmers’ issue
During the zero hour of the State Assembly, the Congress MLAs and INLD’s lone MLA raised the issues related to the farmers. Congress MLA Kiran Chaudhary requested that a resolution be passed by the State Government demanding MSP guarantee for the crops for farmers and it should be sent to the Central Government.
The Speaker Gian Chand Gupta did not allow moving a resolution on this saying the issue of MSP comes under the purview of the Central Government. On this, Chaudhary said that the State Assembly had earlier passed a resolution related to central farm laws, Similarly, a resolution related to MSP can be passed and sent to the Central Government, she said. The Speaker, however, rejected the request.
Speaking on the issues of farmers, INLD’s MLA Abhay Chautala said that the government should withdraw all cases registered against the farmers at the earliest.
A large number of cases were registered against the farmers in Haryana during over a year-long farmers’ agitation, which concluded recently.
Chautala said that land should also be provided to develop a memorial for 715 farmers, who were martyred during the agitation.
He also demanded compensation and a government job for the families of those farmers who died during the protest.
Chautala also criticized the Chief Minister and ruling legislators for earlier claiming that the central farm laws will never be repealed.
Chautala had last year resigned from Ellenabad assembly seat in favor of farmers’ agitation. He was re-elected from the constituency in a bypoll held in October this year.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda had paid tributes to 715 farmers, who died during the agitation against three central farm laws. Hooda and other Congress legislators also raised demands of withdrawal of cases against farmers, compensation and a government job for families of those who died during agitation.
Congress MLAs demand allowing namaz in the open
Congress MLAs criticized the Chief Minister over his recent statement that the tradition of namaz being offered in the open will not be tolerated and players should be restricted to religious places.
Asking the Chief Minister to withdraw his statement, MLA Mamman Khan while speaking during the zero hour said that namaz should be allowed at the sites in the open as allowed earlier.
The Chief Minister is not against the community but only engaging in vote bank politics, he alleged.
MLA Mohammad Ilyas said that the people from the community decided to stay back in India a long time back and have equal rights. Permission should be given to the community to offer namaz in the open not only in Haryana but anywhere in the entire country, he said.
Amid the row over offering namaz in public places in Gurugram and protests by right-wing over it, the Chief Minister had last week in Gurugram said that the tradition of offering namaz in the open which started here will not be tolerated. But an amicable solution will be worked out for this, he had said.
House paid tribute to departed souls
Haryana Vidhan Sabha paid tributes to those prominent personalities who passed away between the period from the end of the previous session and the beginning of the current session.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal paid tributes and read out the obituary resolutions. These included Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder and other victims of the helicopter crash, former Member of Parliament, Freedom Fighters of Haryana, Martyrs of Haryana and close relatives of members of Haryana Vidhan Sabha.
The House observed silence to pay homage to the departed souls.