MLA Valmiki visits villagers on dharna for 4 years in Bhiwani

The newly elected MLA from Bawani Khera Assembly segment, Kapoor Valmiki, visited the site of dharna being held by residents of Prem Nagar village in Bhiwani district.

Residents have been staging a dharna for the last four years seeking jobs for village youth in Chaudhary Bansi Lal University, whose building is under construction in their village but is currently functioning from a makeshift accommodation in Bhiwani town.

The village panchayat had given about 132 acres of land for establishing the university building on lease for 33 years at a token rate of Re 1 per year.

Local residents said that they had given the land for the university in 2020 when the state government had promised to provide jobs to the local youth whose land had been taken over for establishing the university. The villagers later staged a dharna at the gate of the university in support of their demands alleging that the state government had failed to fulfill their demand.

Dharam Pal, a former panchayat member of the village, said that they hoped that the state government would accept the demands of the villagers now. “We started the dharna about four years ago. Though the construction work of the new building is still going on, only a few village youths have been employed on the contract basis in the university till now,” he said, adding that they would lift the dharna if the government assured to fulfil the demand.

During the visit of MLA Valmiki, Kalam Singh, who is leading the dharna, apprised him of the demand, besides other related issues. The MLA assured the villagers that he would talk to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini regarding their demands and would arrange a meeting of their representatives with the CM. “I will try to get the demands fulfilled as soon as possible,” he said.

Notably, the village panchayat of Prem Nagar had also given additional 32 acres land for setting up a medical college and the then Union Health Minister, JP Nadda, laid the foundation stone in 2017 with the state government spending Rs 97 lakh in raising the boundary wall. However, the project was later shifted to Bhiwani town and the land was restored to the village panchayat.

Panchayat had given 132 acres to govt

• The panchayat of Prem Nagar village had given about 132 acres of land to the state government for establishing the university building on lease for 33 years at a token rate of Re 1 per year.
• Residents said that they had given the land for the university in 2020 when the state government had promised to provide jobs to the local youth whose land had been taken over for establishing the university.