MLAs to get emblem on vehicles for identity

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 11

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur assured MLAs that the state would give them emblem to maintain their identity.

The CM was replying to a debate in the House over the rights of the MLAs to inaugurate and lay foundation stones of various development schemes in their constituencies. The debate was initiated by Congress MLA from Kinnaur Jagat Singh Negi.

The Chief Minister said since the legislators were not entitled to flag or beacons, the government would provide emblem for their vehicles. He said the design of the emblem was almost ready.

The Chief Minister said after coming to power, his government had taken several steps to resolve the problems being faced by the legislators. He said the issue of legislators not getting accommodation in Himachal Sadan or Himachal Bhavan in Delhi and Chandigarh had been resolved.

“My government is also considering providing permanent accommodation to the legislators in their constituencies where they can attend to the public. The accommodation would be provided at sub-divisional headquarters, tehsil office or block development office,” he said.

“If the members agree”, the Chief Minister said, “the accommodation can also be provided at Chief Minister Lok Bhawans which his government proposes to build in various constituencies”.

In response to the allegations that Opposition legislators were being ignored while inaugurating or laying foundation stone of projects in their constituencies, the Chief Minister said he too had faced a similar situation when his party was in the Opposition.

“Improvement will be made at the Chief Minister’s Office level and I will direct the officials that the information and invitation is sent to the legislator of the area concerned where the inauguration or foundation stone is to take place,” he said.

Earlier, while initiating the debate, Jagat Singh Negi said that MLAs, irrespective of their party, should be given the right to inaugurate schemes in their constituencies. They should be given a room in constituency and a clerk to redress the grievances of people.

Rakesh Singha, CPM MLA, said that parliamentary systems and institutions were being weakened and non-constitutional bodies other than elected MLAs were being given preference.

Bikram Jarial, BJP MLA from Bhatiyat, said that during the stint of the previous Congress government, he was not even allowed to go CM’s function and the name plates of an unelected person were put on all the development schemes, including his priority schemes.

Mukesh Agnihotri said that all MLAs should support the resolution. He said that there should be a code of ethics for MLAs. The union government has made it mandatory to put the name of local MP on each plaque put for works completed using funds of the union government. Similar provision should be made for the MLAs also. “The CM came to my constituency and inaugurated the longest bridge that was brought by him but put the name of a non-constitutional person on it”, he said. Bikram Thakur, Minister for Industries, said that during the Congress regime BJP MLAs were pushed out of programs of the CM. The BJP tried to bring the same proposal during the last Assembly but were denied the opportunity. The proposal was being discussed now due to the benevolence of the CM Jai Ram Thakur.

Asha Kumari, Congress MLA from Dalhousie, said she was always invited by former CMs Shanta Kumar and PK Dhumal when they visited her constituency but no such message was received from the CM when he visited her constituency. In a light vein the CM said her mobile phone was switched off.

Surplus medical officers soon: Minister

• Health Minister Vipin Parmar on Tuesday claimed that in the next two months, there would be surplus medical officer in the state. There were 2,260 sanctioned posts of medical officer, he said.
• When the present government took over, the state was short of about 600 doctors. In the past 10 months, the Health Department has recruited 307 medical officers through walk-in interviews. 
• The process to recruit another 208 doctors through the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission is on. Interviews are also being conducted for medical college passouts to recruit them through walk-in interviews.