Sops continue as elections near

CHANDIGARH, JANUARY 7: With the formal announcement of the date of Assembly elections expected soon, the Haryana Cabinet went on another s...

CHANDIGARH, JANUARY 7: With the formal announcement of the date of Assembly elections expected soon, the Haryana Cabinet went on another spree of doling out sops. On Thursday it approved a sugar mill at Sonepat, an Industrial Model Township IMT at Gurgaon, a modification in the auction policy for residential plots, setting up of Haryana Livestock Development Board and taking over of the Institute of Indian Systems of Medicine and Research at Panchkula among other things.

The Cabinet granted approval to most pre-poll announcements made by the Haryana Chief Minister during his Sarkar Aap ke Dwar programmes.

The sugar mill will come up at Gohana in Sonepat district at an estimated expenditure of Rs 40 crore, which will be financed primarily by HAFED. A Haryana Livestock Development Board is to be set up to improve the genetic stock of animals in the state, and Rs one crore has been approved for the Board to start their activities. The Cabinet also approved the transfer of land measuring a little over 84 acre for setting up a Trade and Business Complex at Hisar.

The sugar mill will have a crushing capacity of 2,500 tonnes per day for which the Government of India had granted a letter of intent way back in 1993. At a recent meeting under the Sarkar Aap ke Dwar programme, the Chief Minister had assured people of a sugar mill at Gohana.

The second major proposal approved by the Cabinet was the setting up of IMT at Manesar. A growth centre would be set up at Bawal to create infrastructure facilities to attract foreign investment. HSIDC has already acquired 1,749 acres of land to develop the IMT and 1,168 acres for the development of growth centre. The National Capital Region Planning Board has sanctioned a loan of Rs 67 crore for these projects which included Rs 45 crore for IMT and Rs 22 crore for growth centre.

The Cabinet also approved the proposal of the Town and Country Planning and Urban Estate Department to modify the auction policy of residential plots in Mandi township. It also cleared the proposal of the Prohibition, Excise and Taxation Department to withdraw over 17,000 cases registered during the days of prohibition against those found in possession upto 12 bottle of liquor of 750 ml each.

The Cabinet also decided to absorb the surplus staff associated with drought-prone area programmes at Narnaul in the Department of Agriculture. A multi-purpose kala parisar will be set up at Kurukshetra by Haryana Kala Parishad. The decision to create two sub-divisions, two tehsils and 16 sub-tehsils in the state were also cleared.