Chandigarh, September 30:- Haryana Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Shri Anil Vij said that farmers are our pride, honour and respect and that no difficulty would be allowed to come in their way. He directed the administration to ensure that farmers bringing paddy to the mandis do not face any problems. He checked the moisture level of paddy lying at the Ambala Cantonment mandi and directed that paddy with moisture below 17 per cent be procured and lifted immediately. He said that whatever quantity of paddy arrives would be acted upon immediately and lifted so that space in the mandi continues to become available and new farmers have space to keep their produce.
Shri Vij was addressing farmers, commission agents and others at a programme organised after reviewing the paddy procurement arrangements and facilities made for farmers at the new grain market on GT Road in Ambala Cantonment. Deputy Commissioner Ambala Sachin Gupta, SDM Kanika Goyal, Market Committee Chairman Balwinder Singh, Vice Chairman Surender Bindra, Municipal Council President Swaran Kaur and others were also present.
Energy Minister Anil Vij visited the grain market in Ambala Cantonment along with district administration officials and took information about all the arrangements made for procurement of paddy. Talking to journalists, Minister Anil Vij said that procurement of paddy had started the previous day. The crop was being dried at the mandi and paddy with moisture below 17 per cent was being procured. He himself visited some heaps of paddy and checked their moisture level.
Energy Minister Anil Vij said that he had got the grain market in Ambala Cantonment newly constructed and every facility for farmers had been taken care of. For this reason, an office for farmers, a good rest house for their stay and a canteen for food and refreshments had also been opened. The canteen earlier operated only until afternoon, but now food would also be available at night so that farmers coming to the mandi with their produce could get dinner as well. He said that Deputy Commissioner Ambala was also present with him and had been directed to ensure immediate lifting of the produce arriving at the mandi so that space would be available for the produce arriving later.
“Ambala Cantonment Received Only Foundation Stones in the Name of a New Grain Market; The Work Was Done Under Our Government”: Energy Minister Anil Vij
At the programme organised in the mandi premises, Energy Minister Anil Vij, while addressing farmers, commission agents and others, said that he was born in this city. He said that he had seen the city grow and breathe, and that the city was established by the British in 1835-36, with space created here for all kinds of businesses, but there was no space for a grain market. There was only a small square in Ambala Cantonment where neither a trolley could go, nor was there any space to dry crops, nor was there any proper system for buying and selling crops. Whenever any VIP visited Ambala, the first demand of the people was for a grain market. However, they continued to receive only assurances. Three Chief Ministers laid foundation stones for the construction of a grain market, but the market was not built. Ambala Cantonment received only foundation stones, not the actual work. He said that work began when their government came to power.
Now as much grain arrives in the new grain market in one day as used to arrive in the old grain market in a month
He said that when their government came to power in 2014, the first work he undertook was to provide a grain market in Ambala Cantonment. He said that after the grain market was shifted here, a person from the opposition, who was also a commission agent, had praised it and told him that after the grain market was shifted here, as much grain was now arriving in the new grain market in one day as used to arrive in the old grain market in an entire month. He said that the arrival of the grain market here had transformed their lives.
“History of the 1857 Struggle Will Be Displayed in the 21-Gallery Bhawani Memorial at the Martyrs’ Memorial”: Anil Vij
Energy Minister Anil Vij also said on the occasion that work had been undertaken to construct the Bhawani Martyrs’ Memorial of the First War of Independence near the highway here. The memorial had been completed and would be inaugurated soon. He also said that textbooks had taught them that the Congress had fought the freedom struggle, but the Congress was formed in 1885 by a British man, A.O. Hume. He said that Hume formed a party in the name of the English word Congress and that Congress was an English word. He said that the Hindi term was Bharatiya Janata Party. He said that 28 years before the formation of the Congress, an armed struggle for the country’s independence had been fought in 1857, in which thousands of people were killed by gunfire and thousands were imprisoned. He said that when he conducted research, he found that the 1857 freedom struggle had begun from Ambala Cantonment, meaning that the armed struggle had begun here nine hours before Meerut. He said that this was why he had been demanding the construction of a memorial here for a long time. He said that he had been elected MLA seven times and, whether in power or in the opposition, he had never refrained from speaking out. He said that he had continuously raised the demand for the construction of a memorial here. He said that if anyone had taken even one step forward for the freedom of Hindustan, he wanted to touch that person’s feet. He said that the martyrs of 1857 had never been paid tribute or remembered. Therefore, to offer floral tributes to those martyrs, a memorial dedicated to their memory had been completed at a cost of Rs. 800 crore. He said that they had authentic documents about the 1857 struggle, detailing how and where the struggle took place at that time. He said that a document written by a British officer also made it clear that the struggle had begun in Ambala nine hours before Meerut. He said that 21 galleries had been created in the memorial, and the places across the country where the struggle took place in 1857 would be displayed there in a very attractive manner. Along with this, a science museum was also nearing completion.
“Power Is Not a Means of Enjoyment for Us, but a Means of Serving”: Vij
Energy Minister Anil Vij said that if the development works carried out by all the MLAs and Members of Parliament from 1952 until before he became a minister were put together, they would not amount to even one per cent of the development works carried out by him. Energy Minister Anil Vij said that it was due to the grace of Prime Minister Modi’s government, and that the message of their party and the culture of the Bharatiya Janata Party was that power was not a means of enjoying comforts for them, but a means of serving. He said that by working day and night, he had made Ambala Cantonment a sub-division as required, built Subhash Park and carried out several other development works that Ambala Cantonment had been demanding, adding, “I brought them here and got them built by taking them away from governments, with interest.”
“Energy Minister Anil Vij Challenges, Says ‘If Anyone Can List the Development Works Done by Me, I Will Give Them a Reward of Rs. 31,000’”
During this, Energy Minister Anil Vij, while issuing a challenge, said that if anyone came and listed the development works carried out by him, he would give that person a reward of Rs. 31,000. He also said that the works carried out by him were visible and spoke for themselves about who had built and provided them. He said that he had made impossible tasks possible, and that all this had happened with the strength and trust given by the people.
On this occasion, Sushil Goyal, Joint Secretary of the Mandi Association, also welcomed the chief guest by presenting him with a shawl and a plant as a symbol of the environment.
