Khattar’s statement over AIIMS project draws flak

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rewari, November 10

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s statement over the AIIMS project at Manethi village during the recently concluded Assembly session has drawn flak from various quarters. Khattar, while replying to Rewari MLA Chiranjeev Rao, who had raised the issue, had said the government was ready to execute the project if the villagers provided adequate land for it.

The Congress and the AIIMS Sangharsh Samiti have termed the statement as “unjustified” as Manethi gram panchayat had already provided around 225 acres for the project.

“As being propagated by the state government citing a report of the Forest Advisory Committee, the land proposed for the AIIMS project falls under the Aravali Plantation Zone (APZ). How can this land be part of the APZ when the gram panachayat has never ever handed it over to the Forest Department?” questioned Sheotaz Singh, chief of the samiti. He said a delegation of the samiti would soon call on the CM and urge him to get it inquired that whether the proposed land was in the APZ or not.

Rajender Nimoth, spokesman of the samiti, said the Forest Department had no evidence to verify that the land fell under the APZ.

Rao said it was astonishing that nothing was being done to execute the AIIMS project in Manethi village despite the announcement for the same even by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The BJP had garnered votes in large numbers from Ahirwal during the Lok Sabha elections in the name of AIIMS. Its leaders again misled the people over the project in Assembly polls. The government is now running away from its promise of establishing AIIMS in Manethi. It is betrayal with the people of Ahirwal,” said Rao.

Ved Prakash Vidrohi, spokesman of state Congress, said the CM had played with the emotion of people by making an illogical statement in a situation when the gram panchayat had already passed a resolution to provide ample land for the project.