Punjab and Haryana have already been locked in unending battles over various contagious issues, including future of Chandigarh, sharing of rivers water, transfer of Punjabi speaking areas, bifurcation of Punjab and Haryana High Court, introduction of Central Pay scales for employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh and bringing Panjab University under central control.

Growing concerns over continuous felling of trees and shrinking green cover notwithstanding, the Chandigarh Administration on directions from the union home minister, is all set to allot a huge green strip of land adjoining KalaGram on  Chandigarh-Panchkula Road for construction of new Haryana Vidhan Sabha complex.

More than an animated debate that has been set in motion over the announcement of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it has also stirred a hornet’s nest as ecologists and environmentalists, too, are up in their arms to protest against allotment of a green patch of land. Amit Shah made this announcement in Jaipur during the Northern Council meeting late last week.

Needless to reiterate, this “provocative” action of the BJP leadership has prompted various political parties, especially their Punjab and Haryana units,  to launch their fresh political tirades over one of several inter-State issues evading solutions for a long time.

Punjab and Haryana have already been locked in unending battles over various contagious issues, including future of Chandigarh, sharing of rivers water, transfer of Punjabi speaking areas, bifurcation of Punjab and Haryana High Court, introduction of Central Pay scales for employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh and bringing Panjab University under central control.

Some of  these long-standing issues are at different stages of adjudication at various forums. The rivers water issue is pending before the Apex Court.

The demand for separate High Courts for both Punjab and Haryana has been in the boiling pot for more than a decade now. Same is the case with transferring control of Panjab University to Centre. Interestingly, Panjab University is technically already under central court as the Vice-President of India is its ex-officio, Chancellor. Though Panjab University owes its roots to Lahore, now in Pakistan, it got its new campus in Chandigarh after the 1947 partition. As a part of the Reorganization Act, 1966, its status changed from a state university to a partial central government monitored university. In the case of State universities, the Governor is the Chancellor. Speaker of Haryana Vidhan Sabha Gian Chand Gupta had been raising the demand for more space for Haryana in the existing Vidhan Sabha complex that forms a part of the Capital complex.

His argument has been that a portion of the complex allotted to Haryana was far short of the agreed upon ratio of 60:40. Issue raised by him was nothing new as Haryana had been demanding for a long time a separate Haryana High Court against the present set up of a joint Punjab and Haryana High Court. Now the demand for allotment of land for construction of  separate High Courts has also gained momentum. Latest to join the separate High Courts chorus are incumbent Chief Ministers of the two States. A couple of months ago, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced the implementation of Central Pay scales for employees of the Chandigarh Administration. At the time of reorganization, it was suggested that till the time the future of Chandigarh was decided, it would draw its employees from Punjab and Haryana in the 60:40 ratio.

However, in late 80s and early 90s, the Chandigarh Administration at the instance of the Union Government went ahead with its plan to create a Union Territory cadre thus gradually diminishing the share of  employees on deputations from Punjab and Haryana.

A stage has now reached when UT cadre has grown to a strength that employees on deputation are not required any more. Earlier, the employees were  mostly getting Punjab Pay scales. There were times when the Chandigarh Administration employees also got  Central Pay Scales but  whenever Punjab announced its revised pay scales, the UT employees  would agitate and demand Punjab Pay scales. But now when the Central Government pay scales offer better wages and 60 years as retirement age, Chandigarh employees’ demand for central pay scales was conceded by Amit Shah to the great dismay of the Punjab government.

The SYL issue cropped up in recent months after an AAP MP from Delhi said that Haryana would get its share before the next Assembly elections in the State.

The Northern Council meeting, where all northern States participate and raise issues agitating them, especially those pertaining to neighboring States, has now once again revived  jurisdictional issues. After Haryana welcomed the announcement of Amit Shah, Punjab Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, too, joined the issue demanding a similar allocation for  both Punjab Vidhan Sabha and a separate Punjab High Court. At the Jaipur meeting, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar  also made another announcement  that his State would go for delimitation of its Assembly constituencies before the 2029 assembly elections. Once delimitation is notified, the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha constituencies would be redefined suggesting that the number of  both Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha  members will go up  from the present strength of 10 and 90, respectively. After delimitation, the State will send 14 members to Lok Sabha and will have 126 as Vidhan Sabha members.

The demand for new Vidhan Sabha complex was made on the plea that the present complex was also congested for the existing 90 members and once the number of members goes up to 126, it will need a bigger complex.

“There is not enough space available in the existing building to even accommodate these 90 MLAs. Not only this, but it is also not possible to carry out the expansion, because it is a heritage building. It is, therefore, requested that sufficient space may be given in Chandigarh for the construction of a new additional building for the Vidhan Sabha,” Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said in his statement. The Haryana Speaker  held a Press Conference in Chandigarh  to support his demand. “We have been trying to get land for the last one year. The Chief Minister has a big role to play in taking the matter to Lok Sabha speaker, Vice President, and Union Home Minister.

“The present building doesn’t have space for ministers and Vidhan Sabha committees. Once we get the site, we will soon start the construction,” Gian Chand Gupta said.

Both Manohar Lal Khattar and Gian Chand Gupta  have been  categoric in maintaining that  land for a new Vidhan Sabha complex  did not mean or suggest that Haryana would leave its rightful share in the existing Vidhan Sabha building. Partap Singh Bajwa, Leader of Opposition, Punjab, went a step ahead suggesting that if Haryana wants its separate Vidhan Sabha building, it should build it outside Chandigarh and preferably in Panchkula.

(The author  is a veteran journalist with over three decades of experience covering a wide spectrum of subjects and stories. He has covered  Punjab and Sikh affairs for more than three decades besides covering seven Olympics and several major sporting events and hosting TV shows. For more in-depth analysis please visit probingeye.com  or follow him on Twitter.com/probingeye. He can be reached at prabhjot416@gmail.com)