On last day of winter session, ruling MLAs turn the heat on govt over health, education
Speaker Gian Chand Gupta also expressed anguish when it emerged that in certain cases, the reply ministers were giving were incorrect
: The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janata Party MLAs on Wednesday targeted their own coalition government over ‘tardy’ pace of development and highlighted ‘massive’ staff shortage in the health and education sectors on the last day of a tumultuous winter session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha.
Speaker Gian Chand Gupta also expressed anguish when it emerged that in certain cases, the reply ministers were giving in the House were incorrect.
Deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala’s mother and Badhra assembly segment MLA Naina Singh Chautala; BJP MLAs Laxman Singh Yadav (Kosli); Krishan Lal Middha (Jind); Abhe Singh Yadav (Nangal Chaudhary); and JJP MLAs Jogi Ram Sihag (Barwala) and Ram Kumar Gautam (Narnaund) vociferously took aim at their own coalition government, echoing the accusations levelled by the principal opposition party Congress during the three-day session.
“There is a huge shortage of teachers in my segment... Please send teachers... It is a matter of shame for us that in spite of having our own government, the schools of my segment don’t have teachers,” said Naina Singh Chautala, the JJP MLA, challenging the education minister to visit her segment to ascertain if what she was saying in the House was true or not.
Another grievance that she raised during the Zero Hour was that officers desist from completing the work and that government should fulfil the assurances at the earliest.
BJP’s Kosli segment MLA Laxman Singh Yadav complained that barring assurances in the past three years, the state government had not taken any concrete step to construct a bridge or a bypass in his segment.
“Except the paperwork nothing has happened... we are running out of time... elections are approaching... I have got nothing except assurance...,” said Yadav during the Question Hour, pointing out that after becoming an MLA, he had been raising this issue without much success.
Throughout the session, the ruling MLAs and Opposition voiced almost identical grievances: potholed roads, shortage of teachers, contaminated water supply, sewerage problem and people suffering on account of staff crunch in health institutions in the hinterland.
When education minister Kanwar Pal responded to Naina Chautala’s ‘schools without teachers’ accusation, the JJP MLA angrily said that what the minister was saying was contrary to ground realities.
“I shall table the information I have collected on floor of the House... You depute someone to verify if what I am saying is untrue,” Chautala said.
At this, speaker Gupta remarked that if what the education minister stated was not correct, it amounted to mockery of the House.
BJP MLA Abhe Singh Yadav pointed out the urgency behind the public works department (PWD) revising the rates of executing works “overnight”. But deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala defended the decision and said that the rates have been increased by 21.18% after 33 years. Yadav, however, said his intention behind raising this issue in “public interest” was to press for “transparency”.
JJP MLA Jogi Ram Sihag informed the House that a file pertaining to transfer of land from department to another has been shuttling between the two departments for the last five years.
JJP’s Ram Kumar Gautam took pot shots at the deputy chief minister on the issue of potholed roads and government health institutions functioning without doctors.
Asking the deputy CM to save his Narnaund assembly segment from ruin, Gautam said, “take care of my segment if you can...”
The government was again at the receiving end when urban local bodies minister Kamal Gupta kept fumbling while responding to an issue Congress MLA Neeraj Sharma raised regarding death of an 11-year-old in his segment.
Not satisfied with the answer, the Congress MLA alleged that the members do not get answers of serious issues.
Again, speaker Gupta chastised the executive, asking the ministers to ensure they give correct information to the House.
“I want the ministers to ensure that whatever information is provided in the House, it should be correct. In case the information is wrong, punish those responsible for this negligence,” Gupta said.