15 July : Renewing the demand for a separate High Court for Harayana, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said his request in this regard has “found favour” with the Centre. “Like any other state, my state too has a legitimate demand of having its separate High Court at Chandigarh. I have talked to (Union Law Minister Veerappa) Moily recently and our demand has found favour with him. Earlier, I have also met the Prime Minister in this regard,” Hooda told reporters in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
At present Punjab and Haryana High Court is common for both the neighbouring states.Asked about unilateral termination of the inter-state river water agreements with the neighbouring states by Punjab about five years back, Hooda said, “the matter was earlier referred by the President to the Supreme Court. We have given an application in the apex court that the matter should be taken up on priority”.
On setting up a separate SGPC for the state as promised by the ruling Congress in its manifesto in the last assembly elections, the Chief Minister said that a committee headed by Agriculture Minister H S Chatha had recently submitted a report to the government which has recommended constitution of a separate body.
“After receiving the report, the Government has constituted a committee under the State Advocate General’s chairmanship which will see that there are no legal hurdles in the process (of setting up a separate SGPC for Haryana).”
Punjab has been opposed to setting up of a separate SGPC by Haryana, with ruling Shiromani Akali Dal claiming that it is Congress’ move to “divide” the Sikhs.
Huda did not rule out a cabinet reshuffle before the state assembly polls, which are due in February next year.
After Congress’ good performance in the last Lok Sabha polls, when it retained nine out of ten seats in the State, speculation has been rife that Haryana could see early Assembly polls, sometime in October.
On the possibility of senior INLD leader and former finance minister Sampat Singh, who quit his party after being in it for 32 years, joining the Congress, Hooda said, “when Singh comes and expresses his desire, then we will take a call.”
Referring to the power problem in the state, he said that his government had “inherited” this problem, but hoped that with the commissioning of many new power projects in the state, Haryana would become a power surplus state over the next two years.
Earlier, listing the achievements of his government during the past four-and-a-half years, he said that 70 lakh tonnes of wheat had been procured during this Rabi season, which was a record.
He said his aim was to make Haryana the top state in the country in terms of overall development and was happy that it had emerged as a leader in terms of per capita investment and per capita income.