Law and order top priority of new UP govt: Gov

Lucknow, May 21: Uttar Pradesh Governor T V Rajeswar today said the top priority of the newly formed Mayawati-led state government would be to establish the rule of law by creating an atmosphere free from injustice, crime and fear.

Addressing the joint session of the state legislature on the inaugural session of the 15th assembly, Mr Rajeswar, who created a history of sorts by reading the entire text without any obstruction in over 45 minutes, said the government will put an end to the 'Jungleraj' and create such an atmosphere in which everyone is protected and no communal riots takes place.

It was for the first time after 1993, that any governor could read his entire speech in the house without any obstruction.

The main opposition Samajwadi Party members and the leader of the opposition Mulayam Singh Yadav kept their cool even as the governor read that anarchy prevailed during the previous regime for four years and the peoples' verdict was ridiculed by forming an unconstitutional government after splitting political parties.

''Besides this, corruption and bribery reached the climax. The middlemen and contractors of the criminal type remained all powerful as bribery dominated over the development programmes and transfers'', he said adding that the ''innocent people of the state had to bear the brunt of it.'' Mr Rajeswar said the clear verdict in the assembly polls was given by the people of the state against terror,crime and corruption for the first time after a lapse of about 16 years.

''The government would make all efforts to transform Uttar Pradesh into Uttam aur Khush haal Pradesh, which would be a leading and prosperous state in the true sense of the word'', the Governor said.

We will make efforts to ensure that the people of the state rise above religious,caste, community and other narrow feeling and behave in a cordial manner so that all the people of the state could equally participate in the process of development, he said.

The Governor said action under NSA and Goonda and Gangsters Act would be initiated against persons with criminal backgrounds and no official security will be provided to them. ''Thirty per cent seats of Station House Officers and Inspector-in-charge would be filled by SC/ST and OBC candidates and the rest by religious minorities and other sections to give proper representation to each section of society in the force.'' ''It would be a priority of the government to generate employment opportunities for the youth to enable them to live with dignity instead of hurting their self-respect by doling out to them a meagre amount in the name of Unemployment Allowances,'' Mr Rajeswar said.

The Governor, in his 21 page address, said efforts would be made to raise the growth rate of the state upto 10 per cent for which investments to the tune of about Rs 8 lakh crore would be required. ''Policies would be framed and schemes devised to make all sections economically sound and help them live with honour and improve their living standard,'' he said.

Commenting on the dissolved UP Development Council, Mr Rajeswar said industries have been ''cheated'' by the council and it remained confided to certain specified regions by some ''handpicked capitalists''.

''In the coming days cetain attractive policies and big projects will be announced,'' he added.

Stressing that electricity and roads are two main pillars of development, he said the government will pay special attention to the subject and would get the sanctioned schemes completed either within the next three years or cancel them. ''The government would seriously consider the possibility of establishing power generation projects based on waste of sugar mills and installation of small hydroelectric plants.'' A target of linking 3000 villages with metalled link roads under various schemes of the PWD has been set up for the current financial year out of these 1500 village would be 'Ambedkar grams'.

Mr Rajeswar said schemes would be prepared to fulfill the expectations of 'Sarvsamaj' and would ensure uniform funding of development programmes in all the areas of the state.

Announcing that the budget proposals for the current financial year would be brought very soon, the Governor said to strengthen the state's economic condition, strict financial discipline would be observed and unnecessary expenses would be stopped.

A new urban housing policy would be framed to provide houses to the weaker sections, Mr Rajeswar added.

UNI

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