No religious worship in open by any community sans permission: Manohar Lal Khattar

CM Manohar Lal Khattar Tuesday said that no member of any community should hold religious prayers in public places, referring to the objections by several Hindu groups to Friday prayers by Muslims in open spaces in Gurugram.

“People of all faiths hold prayers at designated religious places like temples, mosques, gurdwaras and churches, and permissions are given for all big festivals and programmes in open,” Khattar said in the House during winter session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha while replying to the issue raised by Congress MLA from Nuh, Aftab Ahmed, during the Zero Hour. “But by displaying a show of strength which provokes sentiments of another community is not appropriate,” Khattar said.

It was for the second time that the matter figured during the winter session of the Haryana Assembly, which began here on Friday. “Some elements are repeatedly disrupting Friday prayers. Constitution of India gives the right to practise one’s religion. No one has the right to disrupt prayers. In Gurugram, thousands of crores of investment has been pumped in and the city is a symbol of development. What message will be sent out from Gurugram if one cannot offer prayers as per one’s choice?” Ahmed said.

“No member of any community should hold such programmes in open spaces. If they have to hold them, they should do so in temples, mosques, gurdwaras and churches. It is the responsibility of all to maintain a peaceful atmosphere and to see that there is no confrontation in society,” Khattar said.

“It is good that people have agreed to hold Friday prayers at certain places (in Gurugram) and there is a consensus till new arrangements are made. But when some people hold prayers outside such spots, a situation of confrontation arises. It is a local issue, it is not an issue which should be flared up as it can spoil communal harmony. There are annual events of all faiths, be it Dussehra, Ram Lila, Urs and these are held with due permission. But in routine, daily or weekly (prayers), there are designated places. And where there is confrontation by offering prayers in open spaces, things should be resolved amicably,” Khattar said.

However, Ahmed reiterated his assertions and said, “Idgahs and mosques should be freed from illegal encroachments in Gurugram so that our community members are not forced to offer prayers in the open. Thousands of Muslims come to Gurugram in search of employment and there is not enough space for them to offer prayers,” adding that “protecting minorities’ rights was the Chief Minister’s responsibility”.

Sufficient stock of coal available: Power Minister
While replying to a question pertaining to coal stock in power plants and the power situation in Haryana, state’s Power Minister Ranjit Singh said, “At present, a sufficient stock of coal is available in all the thermal power stations located in the state. The state government has ensured an adequate supply of electricity to the people in all the areas as per their requirement on a priority basis. At present, 1.4 lakh metric tonnes in Panipat Thermal Power Station, 2.12 lakh metric tonnes in Deen Bandhu Chhoturam Thermal Power Project Yamunanagar, 3.90 lakh metric tonnes in Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project located at Khedar Hisar, 2.27 lakh metric tonnes in Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project NTPC Jhajjar and 89 MT coal stock is available at Mahatma Gandhi Super Thermal Power Station JPL Jhajjar. As per the demand for electricity in the state, power is procured so that the people get enough electricity supply.”

Dushyant gives directions for crop damage assessment
While replying to a question pertaining to crop damage in the state, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala apprised the House that directions for special crop inspections have been given to take stock of the damage caused by unseasonal rain and waterlogging. After receiving the report, a decision will be taken by the state government regarding compensation. “Due to unseasonal rains, crops of bajra, cotton, moong, paddy and sugarcane have been damaged in 11 districts of the state.

On which the state government had directed four Divisional Commissioners to prepare and send a report in this regard. The report of two Divisional Commissioners has been received and the rest of the report will also be received soon.”

In response to the question asked by the member of the House related to Sirsa district, Dushyant said, “In the year 2021, crops in an area of 76,782 acres have been affected due to the attack of Pink Bollworm (Gulabi Sundi), unseasonal rain and waterlogging in Sirsa district. Special girdawari orders were issued on September 30, 2021 and October 19, 2021 to assess the damage caused to standing crops of bajra, cotton, moong, paddy and sugarcane. A report in this regard is expected from Hisar division. After receiving the report, a decision will be taken to pay compensation.”

‘41,360 posts vacant in Haryana schools’
While replying to a question regarding vacant posts in Haryana’s schools, Education Minister Kanwar Pal apprised the House that “there are 24,867 schools in the state, of which 14,473 are government and 10,394 are private. These include 137 Sanskriti Senior Secondary Schools. At present, 53,68,539 students are studying in schools across the state. Of which, 25,30,868 students are studying in government schools and 28,37,671 in private schools. There are 1,37,895 posts from principal to Class-IV level staff are sanctioned for the schools of the state, out of which 96,535 posts have been filled. Students will not have to suffer academically due to the shortage of teachers and the vacant posts would be filled at the earliest”.

‘Officers responsible for encroachment in their jurisdiction’
While replying to a question pertaining to encroachments across the state, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister J P Dalal apprised the House that “if there is any encroachment in the area supervised by any officer of Haryana Urban Development Authority, the responsibility of the officer concerned will then be fixed. For this, the officer concerned will have to submit report every month to the department that no encroachment has taken place in the area”. Giving further information about the encroachments in question, Dalal added, “About 663.05 acres of land has been encroached upon by the HSVP in Gurugram, out of which cases are pending in various courts related to 466.29 acres of land and for the remaining 196.76 acres of land that has been encroached upon, necessary action is being taken to remove the encroachments. So far, 172.35 acres of land has been made free from encroachment. During this year, auction from June, 2021 to December 7, 2021, property worth Rs 5,761.00 crore was auctioned and a total of Rs 1075.42 crore has been received. After removing all encroachments, HSVP will prepare a plan for that land. That land will then be disposed of through e-auction to generate revenue and to settle pending claims”.

Hisar airport to be named as Maharaja Agrasen Airport
The Haryana government shall name the airport located in Hisar as ‘Maharaja Agrasen Airport’. During the ongoing winter session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha, it was agreed to pass a resolution unanimously in the House and will be further sent to the Central government. Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala Tuesday moved a resolution in the Vidhan Sabha at the end of the Question Hour to request the Ministry of Civil Aviation, on behalf of the government of Haryana to rename the airport at Hisar as ‘Maharaja Agrasen Airport’. This proposal of the Deputy Chief Minister was unanimously supported by the ruling party as well as the members of the Opposition. “Now after the resolution is passed by the Assembly, the Civil Aviation Ministry will be requested to rename the Hisar airport as ‘Maharaja Agrasen Airport’”, Dushyant said.

‘75% reservation in private jobs from January 15’
Minister of State for Labour and Employment Anoop Dhanak apprised the House that “the Employment of Local Candidates of Haryana State Act, 2020 will be implemented from January 15, 2022 in the entire state of Haryana”. He gave the information while replying to a question during the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha Tuesday regarding 75 per cent reservation in employment for unemployed youth of Haryana.

“The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 has been notified on March 2, 2021, which will now be applicable from January 15, 2022 in the entire state of Haryana. According to this Act, there is a provision to provide 75 per cent reservation for a period of 10 years to local candidates domiciled in Haryana whose monthly gross income does not exceed Rs 30,000, irrespective of caste, in private sectors such as companies, societies, trusts, limited liability, partnership firms etc. This Act will prove beneficial for skill development and better employment of local residents. This will help in the socio-economic development of the state. It is the priority of the government to provide employment opportunities to the local candidates. This Act will be helpful in providing employment to the domiciled residents of Haryana state,” Dhanak added.