Press Note Eng Dt: 04/03/2016 on Budget
Office of Shaktisinh Gohil
National Spokesperson, AICC & MLA, Abdasa
Press Note 04th March, 2016
Congress MLA Shaktisinh today lashed out against Anandiben Patel government saying that while government was making tall claims of development of Gujarat, its policies were basically widening gap between rich and poor, haves and have nots. In many cases government plans were being used to exploit common men. He was speaking on Gujarat budget proposals for 2016-17 in the State Assembly.
Referring to much publicized biennial Vibrant Gujarat summit, he questioned the contribution of such events in the economy of the state and life of people. He cited example of N A Construction company which had signed Rs 4250 Crore MOU with Gujarat government and floated a housing scheme claiming that Gujarat government was its partner.
Lured by government backed project publicity, as many as 3264 people joined one BHK scheme of the company. By the time they realized that it was a fraud and company had no land, billions were lost by poor people. Had government taken steps when the company was fraudulently using government association, poor people would not have met such a disastrous fate. He demanded that government should refund money to the investor and collect it from the company.
Referring to government’s claim of employment creation, he said that the fact that lakhs applied for fixed wage job for about 3000 posts of talatis is the best example of unemployment in Gujarat. There cannot be a better certificate for unemployment situation. He cited a case of corruption in providing government job in which jobseekers had paid Rs ten lakh each for talati’s job. The kingpin of this racket was close to a BJP minister. How a hardworking youth can get job in this state honestly, he asked.
Mocking at government’s claim of its ambitious tribal welfare plans, he said that in tribal district Valsad, all 24 posts of principals of government schools were vacant. Of these 18 were vacant since 2009 and six since 2011. There can’t be anything more insulting to tribals, he said.
Government is singing tune of make in India while offering Chinese and other foreign companies Indian work. Consequently, he said, ceramic industry of Morbi, plastic industry of Bhavnagar and machine tool industry of Rajkot was in crisis because of dumping of goods by Chinese companies. Similarly, he said, Akrimota thermal power plant which was run by Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation has now been handed over to a Korean company on the plea that Gujarat company cannot run it.
Gujarat claims to be power surplus. Referring to Narendra Modi who was Chief Minister earlier he said that he used to boast to be able to sell electricity to Pakistan, a country which sends terrorists into India. He said that farmers were given power supply in the night which involved danger of wild animals in the night. Government should provide power supply to farmers during day time to spare them of hazard of night. He challenged Energy Minister Saurabh Patel to be with him when farmers opened their water pipelines in the night because of night power supply.
We talk of SUVs and luxury vehicles. But what about common man who travels in ST bus, he asked. He said that in 2000-01 ST had 10048 buses in working condition. Today, instead of increase the number has come down to 7875. Similarly, he said, number of routes has been reduced from 20104 to 14706 during this period.
Taking a dig at Narmada canal work, he said that it can irrigate 1792,000 hectares of land but even after BJP being in power for 22 years it irrigates only 209000 hectares of land. He said that these figures were from budget document only. He said that the government raises gate issue in such matters. But the fact is that there are five dams which generate electricity. Water falls in canals from height of 110 mt. He said that government claimed that it got permission for construction of gates. Gohil said that as per information he got from Narmada Control Authority through a RTI there was nothing to be happy about this since it was only for the construction of gates not for using them.
He said that govt staff was used in different programmes . He said that police in Gandhinagar was not given TA. He also asked for land to people who had given land for making Gandhinagar state capital pointing out that High Court had given judgment in their favour and government had not gone in appeal.
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