Khattar re-launching previous govt’s projects in Sirsa: Tanwar

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, July 19

State Congress president Ashok Tanwar today accused Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar of trying to take credit for schemes and projects sanctioned by the previous Congress Government. All the projects being launched by the CM on his visit to Sirsa tomorrow were already approved and in some cases, even funds had been received in the district, Tanwar alleged.

Tanwar, who represented Sirsa Parliamentary constituency from 2009 to 2014, alleged that even the Rs 1,591 crore project of four-laning the National Highway from Hisar to Dabwali, being launched by Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, was announced during the ‘Rail-Road Rally’ of the Congress before parliamentary elections.

Addressing mediapersons at Fatehabad today, he said even the land for four laning the highway was acquired and compensation distributed during the Congress regime.

Tanwar said a new Government College for Women was sanctioned by the state government through his efforts during the previous regime and even funds were sent to the Sirsa district administration.

“However, the government deliberately kept delaying its construction so that it could take credit for the project,” he alleged.

He said if the government was really interested in the welfare of people, it should announce new irrigation projects at Dhigtania Kharif Channel, Bhamboor Kharif Channel and some others for which the villagers have been agitating for long.

“Rather than bringing new projects, the government has closed Block Institute of Technical Education (BITE) in Sirsa, abandoned the project to build over 2,400 houses for poor under the Rajiv Aawas Yojna, for which funds had already arrived with the district authorities, and stopped funds from Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) to Sirsa district,” he claimed.

On the controversy over appointment of actress Parineeti Chopra as the brand ambassador for the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ Abhiyan by the state government, Tanwar said changing brand ambassadors would not solve the problem of the skewed sex ratio in Haryana.

Describing the controversy as uncalled for, the Congress chief said the government needed to change its own as well as people’s mindset to improve the sex ratio of the state.