CHANDIGARH, India: The Formula to end the territorial issue mooted by Justice Venkatramia Chairman of the Territorial Commission, has not found favor with the Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr. Bhajan Lal and Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr. Sugjit Singh Barnala. The commission will now have to give its verdict of, identifying Hindi speaking villages to be given to Haryana in lieu of Chandigarh. The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Surjit Singh Barnala had a meeting ‘with Justice Venkatramia on Sun day to discuss the proposal. Earlier, Mr. Bhajan Lal met Justice Venkatramia on Saturday. The councils for the two States Mr. Soli Sorab ji for Punjab and Mr., Denu Gopal for Haryana will probably convey the reaction of their respective States to the commission at the hearing on Monday. According to informed sources, the formula has been approved by the Punjab Chief Minister. The Haryana Chief Minister had suggested various alternatives during his meeting with the commission on Saturday. Mr. Bhajan Lal had suggested to the commission that Haryana was Not getting justice and the state should be given areas either from Fazilka or Abohar sector as identified by the Mathew Commission or as an alternative he had suggested the partition of Chandigarh on 60-40 basis; sixty for Punjab and forty for Haryana, Even in the matter of partition, Haryana Chief Minister suggested that the partition could be done, keeping the Madhya Marg of Chandigarh as the dividing line. If this division was not possible then Haryana should be given areas from Fazilka and Abohar sector, Mr. Bhajan Lal suggested.
Justice Venkatramia, is understood to have put across, Mr. Barnala all the alternatives given by Haryana Chief Minister and suggested that Punjab should give a cluster of villages to Haryana equivalent to the area of Chandigarh totaling about 15000 acres from the Rajpurra Tehsil of Patiala Punjab does not favor the idea of twin cities as it appears that the idea will make the place too populated which would not be conducive for proper environments. Be sides Punjab does not have so many villages in a cluster at one place from where it could give areas to Haryana, Another reason was that the people of those places will have to be dislocated, which Punjab could not afford. On the question of division of Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister
Believed to have told the commission the at all these proposals were discussed and suggested long ago. Even when the Akali leaders were jail. He said the question of division of Chandigarh had come ‘up even during the tripartite talks and it was found unacceptable. Mr. Barnala suggested to the commission that according to the Pun jab accord, Commission should identify Hindi speaking villages that should be given to Haryana from areas other than Abohar and Fazilka, While, Mr. Barnala left for Amritsar after his meeting with the commission, Mr. Bhajan Lal is still staying in Delhi to consult his party colleagues on the proposal given by the commission and the alternative suggested by him. Haryana Cabinet is also meeting in Chandigarh on Tuesday to consider the proposal put forward by the Venkatramia Commission.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 30, 1986
