*Positive Assurance from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Provision of Military Land for Expansion of Ambala Cantonment Civil Hospital: Energy Minister Anil Vij*

*Opposition Creating a Needless Controversy Over a Non-Issue; If Electoral Rolls Are Wrong, Leaders Who Won Elections Based on Them Should Resign: Anil Vij*

Chandigarh, October 5: Haryana Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Sh. Anil Vij met Defence Minister Sh. Rajnath Singh and discussed the issue of acquiring adjoining military land for the expansion of the Ambala Cantonment Civil Hospital. The Defence Minister, he said, gave a positive assurance in this regard.

Speaking to the media persons today, Energy Minister Anil Vij said that during his meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, he raised the need for acquiring the adjoining military land for the expansion of Ambala Cantonment Civil Hospital.

He said that when Ambala Cantonment was established, its population was around 30,000–40,000, and the hospital premises were planned accordingly. However, the population has now grown to around three to four lakh, due to which the existing hospital space has become inadequate.

Vij said that the government now wants to undertake further expansion of the Civil Hospital. He said several projects have also been sanctioned for Ambala Cantonment. Former Chief Minister Manohar Lal had sanctioned Rs.10 crore for the construction of a dharamshala for attendants of cancer patients. Similarly, a Spine Injury Centre, which he said is not available anywhere else in Haryana, has also been sanctioned for Ambala Cantonment. However, there is currently no suitable land available for these projects.

He explained that Ambala Sadar was carved out of the Cantonment Board area and constituted separately on February 5, 1977. The remaining surrounding land is under the Cantonment Board and the Army. Vij said that if the Civil Hospital is to be expanded, the military land is the only available land required for the purpose. He said the process of acquiring military land is lengthy and involves several formalities, so it is not an easy or immediate process.

He said he met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in this regard yesterday and received a positive assurance. He added that the matter had been taken up earlier as well. The Defence Minister, he said, assured him that officials would be directed to take up the correspondence with all the required documents and in accordance with the prescribed conditions for acquiring military land.

Vij expressed confidence that the expansion of Ambala Cantonment Civil Hospital is essential and that efforts would continue to facilitate the project.

*Opposition Creating Needless Controversy Over a Non-Issue; If Electoral Rolls Are Wrong, Leaders Who Won on the Basis of These Rolls Should Resign: Vij*

Reacting to the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Energy Minister Anil Vij accused the Opposition of unnecessarily turning a non-issue into a controversy. He said the Opposition had been politically defeated and was now raising the issue of electoral rolls.

Vij said that, according to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's politics centred on development and performance had overtaken the Opposition's politics, which he alleged had been based on slogans, promises and announcements.

He said the Opposition was now creating a controversy over electoral rolls. “If the same electoral rolls were used for our victories, they say the rolls are wrong; but when Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi won elections on the basis of the same electoral rolls, they were considered correct,” Vij said.

Vij further said that if the Opposition believes that the electoral rolls are incorrect, then the leaders who won elections on the basis of those very rolls should resign. He said that leaders questioning the rolls prepared under the Election Commission should set an example by relinquishing the positions they won through those rolls. Taking a dig at the Opposition, Vij said that its leaders had both won elections on the basis of these electoral rolls and were now raising objections over the same rolls.