Haryana Cong submits memo to guv against e-tendering system, corruption, crime

Haryana Congress MLAs on Monday submitted a memorandum to Governor Bandaru Dattatreya against the government's e-tendering system and corruption, unemployment and crime in the state.

The memorandum also noted that the authorities allegedly 'lathi-charged' government employees seeking restoration of the Old Pension Scheme and sarpanches protesting against the e-tendering policy in the execution of development works in rural areas.

Under the e-tendering system, village heads can approve development projects up to Rs 2 lakh at their own levels but e-tendering is mandatory for those above the Rs 2 lakh limit.

The Congress MLAs were led by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress chief Udai Bhan.

''The demands and demonstrations of both (employees and sarpanches) were completely justified and constitutional. But the government adopted an autocratic attitude to crush their constitutional rights.

''If the public has to face lathis and bullets for raising their grievances and problems, then the government does not have the right to be called democratic,'' the memorandum noted, according to a party statement.

A demand has been made in the memorandum that the government, after talking to the people's representatives, ''should give back the constitutional rights to the panchayats and immediately withdraw the police cases registered against them''.

Hooda claimed the e-tendering system being implemented by the government is in ''violation'' of the relevant provisions of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.

Bhan alleged that the law-and-order situation in the state has deteriorated during the present regime.

''There is neither rule of law nor order in the state. In the BJP-JJP government, the people of the state are feeling terrorised and criminals consider themselves safe and protected,'' he alleged.

In the memorandum, the threat calls last year received by some MLAs and the recent case of abduction and murder of two men from Rajasthan in Loharu of Bhiwani have also been mentioned.

''Due to increasing crime in the state, private investment is not coming. That's why unemployment is increasing. Today, Haryana is at the top in the whole country with 29.4 per cent unemployment rate. Haryana has four times more unemployment rate than the whole country. Apprehensive about their future, the youth are forced to migrate to other states and other countries,'' Hooda added.

In the memorandum, the Congress further alleged that along with unemployment and crime, corruption is also at its peak in the state.

Before submitting the memorandum to the governor, a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was held under the chairmanship of Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Issues to be raised in the second phase of the budget session of the Assembly were discussed in detail.