Dushyant Chautala for separate capitals for Punjab, Haryana

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, November 2

Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said it would be better if both Haryana and Punjab agreed on Chandigarh as a Union Territory and make their independent capitals and Benches of High Courts.

He said this on being asked that it had been 54 years since Haryana came into existence but it still did not have an independent capital, its own High Court and was yet to get the rightful share of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal waters.

He said the state government would open an academy in each district headquarter to train elected representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). They will not only be trained in the functioning of the PRIs, but also be made aware of social welfare schemes of the government so that they could ensure the benefit of the scheme to the last person, he added.

Claim on CHANDIGARH NOT BENEFICIAL

If we leave (claim on) Chandigarh, I don’t think it will benefit Haryana. But if both states make Chandigarh a UT like Delhi and form separate independent capitals and HC Benches, it will benefit them. —Dushyant Chautala, Dy CM

“The PRI representatives need special training to be aquatint about functioning of the PRIs and knowledge about utilisation of funds for the development of their village. So, the academy will train them in all aspects so that they don’t face any problem in discharging their duties,” the Deputy CM added.

He said the BJP-JJP alliance government was in favour of empowering the panchayat system so it was trying to ensure 50 per cent reservation for women and one to eight per cent reservation for backward class in the PRIs.