CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the next Assembly elections would be held on time and not simultaneously with the General Election. Replying to questions of media-persons, he ruled out the possibility of elections next year, stating that it might happen in 2024. Khattar said although Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed the “one-nation-one-election” concept, it could not be implemented without a political consensus. He said, “Holding elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies simultaneously will require constitutional amendments and changes and this requires time.”
Speaking on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal, Khattar maintained that the opposition had politicised construction of the canal. “Since we are governed by the Constitution, we must abide by it. We have full faith in the judiciary and will get our due share in river waters through the SYL canal,” he said. Khattar said the present state government had strongly pleaded the case in the SC and ensured early hearing for a presidential reference, pending for 12 years. “We have full faith in the Supreme Court and the state will soon get its share of water through the SYL canal, which should be constructed at the earliest.”
Speaking about water management projects, Khattar said between 50 and 100 new ponds would be constructed in the vicinity of the national capital for getting groundwater recharged. “Water has reached 293 of the 300 tail-ends in the state. The present government has made infrastructural arrangements for irrigation. The existing capacity of 3,451 cusecs of the JLN canal is being revived at a cost of £30 million,” Khattar said.
He admitted that unemployment was the biggest challenge, saying his government had done well in providing jobs and skills to the youth and lived up to its promise of openness, merit, and transparency without nepotism in matters of recruitment. “Since our government came to power, employment had been provided to 2,03,000 persons in the private sector, including 1,24,000 in micro, small, and medium enterprises.”
