No ban on wheat purchase in Haryana: Govt

Chandigarh, Apr 16 (UNI) Haryana Chief Secretary Dharam Vir today said there was no ban on the purchase of wheat by the private traders or big companies in Haryana.

''However, the companies purchasing wheat above 10,000 tonnes have to file returns to the state government,'' the Chief Secretary said while interacting with mediapersons here today.

Earlier, the limit of filing the returns to Central government on the purchase of wheat was 5,0000 tonnes which has now been reduced to 25,000 tonnes.

The farmers were free to sell their products to private parties in case they get better prices, he added.

He said the national level conference of Chief Secretaries wil be held on April 22 at New Delhi and once the stock limit for the purchase of wheat is fixed, only then the issue of hoarding will arise.

Nonetheless, he said, it was yet not a major issue as most of the wheat was still being purchased by the state agencies and government was keeping a vigil on this issue.

General development issues will be taken up in the Chief Secretaries Conference which is an annual feature and the Prime Minister will address the conference.

Asked whether the state government was hesitating in paying its share for the International Airport at Chandigarh, he clarified that the question of backing out did not arise and the payment will be made by Haryana Urban Development Authority.

Regarding providing metro cover to Panchkula, Chandigarh and Mohali, he said a meeting was held recently and it was decided to first prepare the Comprehensive Mobility Plan.

The plan will identify the different routes and quantify the quantum of traffic on these routes. Based on this plan, the consultants will advise which technology will be best suited for this area. The consultant will also chalk out the cost effectiveness, durability and sustainability of the metro system.

Within next two to three months, the quotations for the consultants will be invited and they will be asked to submit the proposal within three months, he further added.

UNI MA VN AK RK2002