Assembly session from today, oppn to corner govt on DadupurNalvi canal
Opposition parties INLD and Cong to also raise the issue of law and order and farmers’ problems
CONGRESS TO MOVE CALL ATTENTION MOTION ON THE IMPOSITION OF TOLL AT MURTHAL AND PRITHLA
CHANDIGARH: The Haryana assembly session which begins on Monday is expected to be a stormy affair as the opposition is all set to take on the government on a range of issues, including the scrapping of the Dadupur Nalvi irrigation scheme, the controversy over selection of project developers for eight mini-hydro projects in Panchkula, and the law and order situation in the state.
Both the principal opposition party in the assembly, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), and the Congress have severely criticised the BJP government’s anti-farmer decision to shelve the Dadupur Nalvi irrigation scheme. The INLD had also submitted a memorandum to the governor seeking the reversal of the government’s decision.
INLD leader Abhay Chautala said that the scrapping of the irrigation scheme would adversely affect farmers of northern Haryana. About 1,000 acres of the acquired land was de-notified by the BJP government, thus shelving the project. The scheme was conceptualised in 1985 to recharge groundwater and provide canal irrigation in Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts.
The rising cost of land due to enhancements ordered by the courts was the main reason for abandoning the project. Dissatisfied with the compensation, a large number of land owners filed cases of enhancement of compensation.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in 2016, awarded compensation at the rate ₹1.16 crore per acre plus incidental charges. Thus an amount of ₹566 crore will have to be paid to farmers for acquiring 167 acres. The state government did not find the scheme feasible and decided to abandon it.
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who convened a meeting of 12 party MLAs in Chandigarh on Sunday, said that they will move three adjournment motions in the House on Dadupur Nalvi issue, the law and order situation and the problems being faced by farmers in the sale of Bajra and paddy. Besides, the Congress will also move three calling attention motions on the imposition of the toll at Murthal and Prithla, deaths due to dengue and collapse of the education system in the state, Hooda said.
As per the tentative schedule for Monday, the session will begin with obituary references followed by the question hour.
A number of notifications and ordinances will be laid on the table of the House followed by the presentation of preliminary reports of the Committee of Privileges and extension of time for presenting the final report.