46 govt school buildings in dilapidated condition in state: Education minister
CHANDIGARH: Buildings of 46 government schools in Haryana are in dilapidated condition and another 11,368 schools are more than 40 year old.
Education minister Ram Bilas Sharma gave this information in written reply to a starred question during the Question Hour of the Haryana assembly on Monday. INLD legislator Ranbir Gangwa had asked the minister about the number of dilapidated school buildings.
The minister said that out of 46 dilapidated structures, 26 were for primary or middle schools and the remaining 17 were high or senior secondary school buildings.
He said the education department had initiated the process of condemnation of the dilapidated buildings through district-level condemnation committee.
While an amount of `120 crore was allotted for construction of additional classrooms as well as repair and maintenance of school buildings in 2015-16, a budget provision of `305 crore has been made this year.
‘WORKING TO CURB USE OF PESTICIDES’
Agriculture minister OP Dhankar said the state government had multi-pronged strategy, including steps to create awareness, promotion of organic farming, raids on sale outlets, checking of sale and storage of agricultural and horticultural produce and training to farmers to curb the use of pesticides in agriculture in the state.
The minister, while listing the steps, said the number of cases of cancer had gone up substantially in recent years. “When I was heading a farmers’ organisation, I had gathered data which showed that the number of cancer cases in the state had gone up from 5,000 to 25,000 a year between 2002 and 2012. We are making serious efforts to check the use of chemicals in agriculture,” he said in response to a query by Congress MLA Karan Singh Dalal about measures taken by the state government to minimise the use of chemicals in agriculture in compliance with court orders.
When the minister gave the year-wise data, Dalal said the government had given an affidavit that it would check use of chemicals, but the amount of subsidy kept growing. “Will the minister take action against those officers who allowed the subsidy on pesticides to grow despite the government’s promise to check their use?” he asked.
ROUND-THE-CLOCK POWER WITHDRAWN
Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar informed the House that the government had withdrawn the facility of power supply in urban mode to 28 villages falling within 10-km radius of Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant at Khedar due to high losses and non-payment of electricity bills by the villagers.
The minister, while responding to a starred question asked by INLD MLA Ved Narang, said power supply on urban mode was given to 28 villages from July 2011 to April 2015. Narang had asked the chief minister whether there was any proposal to give roundthe-clock power to villages in the vicinity of the power plant. The MLA was informed that the facility was withdrawn because the line losses were extremely high, more than 50 per cent for several villages.
ENGINEERING, B.ED COLLEGES TO STAY WITH KU
The government has decided to set up a university in district Gurgaon, said education minister Ram Bilas Sharma.
The minister, who was replying to BJP MLA Umesh Aggarwal’s question, said the work to set up the university would commence within the current year.
“The Kakrola panchayat has also agreed to provide land for the same and also passed a resolution to transfer land measuring 398 kanal three marla for setting up the university,” he said.
When Congress MLA Kiran Choudhry asked the minister about shifting of engineering colleges from Kurukshetra University, he assured the House that no engineering and BEd colleges affiliated to the Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, would not be shifted to any other university.