House passes three resolutions unanimously

Raipur, March 08, 2013

State assembly passed three non-governmental resolutions with amendments unanimously on Friday. 

The resolutions were moved by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Saurabh Singh, Congress MLA Mahant Ramsundar Das and BJP MLA Dr Krishnamurthy Bandhi.

Demand to start air service from Chakarbhatha airport

The BSP MLA Saurabh Singh moved a resolution to commence regular plane service from Chakarbhatha airport in Bilaspur. “The Chakarbhatha airport is under Airport Authority of India (AAI).  It does not require too many changes except upgradation,” he said.

He told the House that even AAI chairman had assured during inauguration of international airport terminal at Mana (Raipur) that soon air service would be expanded to Bilaspur and Raigarh.

“Bilaspur, being the second important city of the state, is a major link for northern Chhattisgarh. It is also accessible for large population of bordering states,” he added.

“Presently, to avail air service, people have to come to Raipur from different parts of state. They even obtain tickets at higher rates. With commencement of air service in Bilaspur, not only the airlines will get benefited but the air ticket rates too would come down,” he said.

He said the Centre was making radical change in its aviation policy to link small cities. The Centre has already asked the major airlines to operate small aircrafts besides larger ones. He said in the backdrop of Tata-AirAisa joint venture talks and Tata hinting to start domestic flights in two and three-tier cities, Chakarbhatha airport too deserve to come into air route map.

The parliamentary affairs minister Brijmohan urged Singh to amend the resolution and include Ambikapur and Jagdalpur along with Chakarbhatha to start regular air service.

The House then amended the resolution through voice vote and passed it unanimously. The debate on resolution was participated by MLAs Hridayram Rathiya, Doojram Boudh, Raju Singh, Padma Manhar and Dr Krishnamurthy Bandhi.

Demand to commemorate great leaders

The Congress MLA Mahant Ramsundar Das moved a resolution to commemorate great leaders on whose name the government had established academic institutes.

He said symposiums should be organised on the occasion of birth and death anniversaries of such great leaders and the best orator should be felicitated at state level.

“Several academic institutes have been named after great leaders. However, nobody knows about them. Even the students do not know about the person on whose name their institute has been established,” he added.

“Raipur Ayurvedic College has been named after Narayan Prasad Awasthi but the students of the institute are unaware of his contributions to the state. Similarly, the students do not know about Dudhadhari Bajrag on whose name capital’s city’s Degree Girls’ College has been established,” he said.

He pointed that people were also unaware that Raipur’s museum had been named after Mahant Ghasidas who hailed from Rajnandgaon’s renowned Mahant family.

He said people were even confused over the name – Indira on whose name Khiaragarh’s Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya had been established. “Indira was actually the princess of Khairagarh constituency. She died at young age. Hence the university was named her,” he said.

“The objective to move this resolution was to recall these great people through symposiums. This is how the people will get inspired to contribute to society,” he said.

The parliamentary affairs minister Brijmohan asked Das to amend the resolution and include cultural organisations along with educational institutes to commemorate great leaders.

The House thereafter amended the resolution through voice vote and passed it unanimously. The debate on resolution was participated by MLAs Devjibhai Patel, Dr Premsai Singh Tekam and Ambika Markam.

Demand to give patta to forest dwellers Yadavs & OBCs

The BJP MLA Dr Krishnamurthy Bandhi moved a resolution to give patta to forest dwellers Yadavs and other backward class (OBC) people of state.

Proposing amendment in the resolution, the BJP MLA Deepak Kumar Patel said instead of Yadavs and OBCs, the word “non-tribals” should be included. Bandhi accepted his proposal. The House then passed the resolution unanimously.