Chandigarh, March 20
Taking the first step to restore the dignity of various Constitutional institutions as promised by the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the Haryana Cabinet today decided to restore the power of the Governor to hear memorials submitted by government employees against punishment awarded to them by the state government.
The power was withdrawn by the Chautala government on May 28, 2003, when the then Governor, Babu Parmanand, overruled the government’s decision to punish certain officers. The power was vested in a Cabinet subcommittee. It was argued by the government at that time that the subcommittee would be able to dispose off the memorials quickly. However, very few employees got justice from the subcommittee.
Mr Hooda told newsmen after the Cabinet meeting that the decision had been taken to restore the dignity of various institutions.
He said the Cabinet had decided to repeal the Haryana Staff Selection Commission Act-2004. A draft Bill, the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (Repeal) Bill,2005, was approved by the Cabinet. The Bill will be introduced in the Assembly session starting from tomorrow. The commission was granted a statutory status through an Act. On reconsideration it has been felt that there was no necessity to grant legal status to the commission as it had been functioning smoothly and efficiently before the enactment of the Act for the last 35 years as a recruiting
agency without let or hindrance.
Mr Hooda said the Cabinet approved the creation of the new district, which would be named as Mewat instead of Satyamev Puram with headquarters at Nuh. The district would become operative after clearance from the Delimitation Commission of India.
He said the government had decided to withdraw all cases registered against farmers during various Bhartiya Kisan Union agitations in the state during the past five years. The cases to be withdrawn included even those of sedition. He said that the Congress Government in the State was committed to the welfare of the farming community.
Mr Hooda said that it was also decided to constitute a three-member Cabinet sub-committee to consider reconstitution of those municipalities which were abolished by the previous government.
Another five-member Cabinet sub-committee headed by the Finance Minister Mr Birender Singh, would suggest ways and means to improve the financial health of the power sector as well as to settle the issue of pending electricity bills had also been constituted.
Mr Hooda said the amount of compensation to farmers whose crops were damaged by hailstorms would be enhanced. For damage between 26 per cent and 50 per cent, the compensation would be raised from Rs. 1000 per acre to Rs. 1500 per acre in case of wheat crop and Rs. 1250 for other crops.
