Chautala raps Hooda government for ''lack of governance''

Kaithal, Aug 18 (UNI) The present Haryana government lacked the art of governance and the bureaucracy was having the upper hand in running the government, former chief minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Om Parkash Chautala said here today.

While addressing state-level convention organised by the party's legal cell, Mr Chautala asked the lawyers to create awareness among masses about importanrt public issues.

Referring to the significant role played by the lawyers during the freedom struggle, he said they had special responsibility towards the nation.

Criticising the present Haryana government, he said that worsening law and order situation, power shortage, delay in implementation of public welfare schemes, exposed that Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government lacked the art of governance.

He claimed that all sections of the society were fed up with the state government and will overthrow it in the next assembly elections.

Mr Chautla strongly criticised the setting up of SEZs in the state and said he smelt a big scam in it.''If big Industrial houses controlled retail business through setting up big Malls, the small retailers will be wiped out from the business and many families will suffer,'' he said.

He said the government would also lose huge amount of revenue by granting concessions to Industrial houses for setting up SEZs as even the Union Finance Minister had admitted that the government would lose about Rs 1,70,000 crore revenue by granting exemptions and concessions to those setting up SEZs in the country.

He said that a country like India could hardly afford such a luxury.

Mr Chautala said the move of the Haryana government to release land for which HUDA had initiated acquisition proceedings, would prove to be a biggest scam, if a probe was held.

''Touts were having a field day by acting mediators between such land owners and the government, '' Mr Chautala said asking the lawyer fraternity to collect evidence of such transactions so that ''it could be used against the guilty at an appropriate time'' .

Mr Chautala also expressed doubts over the completion of Hansi-Butana Link canal, which was being projected by the present government as one of its big achievements as the project faced many hurdles and even the Central Water Commission had not granted its consent to it.

Mr Chautala also said that even if it was completed, it would do little good to the state. ''This project was not even technically feasible as this canal was being dug 18 feet deep from the ground level. How the water would reach its destination was a million dollar question,'' he said.

Mr Chautala said he was not in favour of a separate High Court for Haryana at some other place and would rather favour a division of the present High Court in Chandigarh in the 60:40 ratio between Panjab and Haryana.

UNI