Vehicles of Haryana MLAS to bear flag with national emblem
My only objective behind this decision is to ensure ‘maan aur sammaan’ of our MLAS. GIAN CHAND GUPTA,
Vidhan Sabha speaker
CHANDIGARH: The lawmakers of Haryana are set to receive ‘car flags’ from the Vidhan Sabha as a mark of status.
The dark red car flag that has been approved by the competent authorities will bear embroidered national emblem, besides ‘Haryana Vidhan Sabha MLA’ written with golden colour thread in bold letters.
The assembly secretariat has placed the orders for preparation of the flags and the members of legislative assembly (MLAS) will get back the ‘status symbol’ within two weeks.
The decision to issue car flags to the MLAS has been made to help them move across the state without any hassle. Haryana Vidhan Sabha comprises 90 MLAS.
“My only objective behind this decision is to ensure ‘maan aur sammaan’ of our MLAS,” said Vidhan Sabha speaker Gian Chand Gupta. “We have fulfilled all formalities before officially deciding to issue car flags to the legislators,” he added. After the Union government in May 2017 banned red beacons atop cars of all ministers, politicians and bureaucrats, the MLAS had been missing this privilege that was seen as the ultimate ‘status symbol’. Not just this, as the senior bureaucrats use flag of their rank on their staff car, the legislators had been arguing in private that under what provision they were being denied this privilege. “As per the protocol, the status of an MLA is above the chief secretary (CS). When CS, additional Cs-rank officers, and principal secretaries use car flags, how can we deny this facility to the elected representative,” the speaker said.
Government sources say the Vidhan Sabha secretariat took approval from all competent authorities such as transport and home departments and the file went up to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Sources say the proposal of sanctioning car flags was mooted a year ago as well, but it picked up pace after Gupta became speaker.
Vidhan Sabha had reportedly received nod from the state government earlier this year and the matter was kept on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It has been learnt that a section of MLAS during informal meetings had informed the assembly speaker about the ‘unnecessary delay’ they face while crossing the toll plazas within the state.
According to Gupta, he had been receiving reports that the legislators were being ‘ill-treated’ at toll plazas.
Recently, there were news reports about an MLA who was allegedly harassed while crossing a toll plaza and his genuine identity card issued by the Vidhan Sabha was dismissed as fake by a toll plaza employee.
“There is no violation of the law by issuing car flag to the MLAS. The car will bear the flag only if the legislator is inside the car,” the speaker said.