Sharma rejects Committee idea

From Our Staff Reporter

CHANDIGARH, January 20

Mr Bhagwat Dayal Sharma, Chief Minister of Haryana, described as “wrong” the reported contention of the Punjab chief Minister, Mr Gurmukh Singh Musafir, at Ludhiana that he (Mr Sharma) had agreed to the appointment of a Committee to decide the boundary claims and counter-claims, other than Chandigarh and Bhakra-Nangal.

Rahter Mr Sharma asserted, it was Mr Musafir who agreed, in the presence of Mr YB Chavan, Union Home Minister, that "the entire case" be referred to arbitration.  He said with still greater emphasis:  “The entire thing will go to arbitration.  There will be no Commission, no Committee”.

He claimed that Himachal and Haryana had the same stand on the matter.

He told pressmen that the Bhakra-Nangal and boundary issues will come up for consideration only after the General Election.

Referring to other disputes resulting from reorganisation such as bifurcation of the Punjab Electricity Board, division of assets and liabilities and reallocation of sugar and other quotas, Mr Bhagwat Dayal Sharma said that he had requested the Central Government to decide these issues without any delay.

Injustice to Haryana

Speaking about the Injustice done to Haryana by Punjab, he said:  “Our wheat is not being given to us while our people are undergoing great hardships. Our share is 12,000 to 13,000 tonnes in the wheat procured in joint Punjab”.

It may be added here that this wheat was procured by the cooperative societies and was with the banks at the time of reorganisation.  It was not government property in the usual sense. Mr Sharma also stressed the need for a separate Electricity Board for Haryana.

Asked if the Dehijia committee had been unfair to Haryana, he said:  “The recommendations of this committee have not been implemented”. He ridiculed “as is where is” principle saying that if some goods were on the road at the time of reorganisation that did not mean these belonged to the road.

Mr Sharma said that the Haryana Government had referred these disputes to the Centre under the provisions of the Punjab Reorganisation Act after exhausting all avenues to settle them with the Punjab Government.