Besides intention to constitute Legislative Council, Vidhan Sabha speaker has announced a project to build highly luxurious and expensive rest houses for the legislators. The move fuelled fierce controversy because these rest houses will be built on the land which will be acquired after cutting hundreds of trees.

The project by the state government to set up bicameral legislature in the state has run into a rough weather as the BJP is not convinced with the idea. The ruling Congress is keen on formation of a legislative council as it wants to accommodate people, who have failed to get elected in the assembly polls.

Congress said the move is in line with its Vachan Patra while BJP has dubbed the move as an effort to appease the disgruntled elements in the party. BJP has said that the Upper House will put an additional financial burden on the cash-strapped government.

The ruling Congress is eager to set up the Upper House in the state as it was one of the key electoral promises made in its Vachan Patra ahead of assembly elections in 2018.

The officials have also been asked to look into the feasibility of the proposal to accommodate 75 members, one third strength of the 230 member house.

“This is an ambitious plan, which had been promised in our Vachan Patra. The government will look into the details of the proposal, evaluate the pros and cons and recommend the outcome for further action” said state legislative affairs minister PC Sharma.

BJP however smells a rat in the entire move. “This seems to be a strategy to save the government and control internal discontent. In five years the government will put an additional burden of Rs. 100 crores on the state coffers, when there are so many other priorities to be looked into” said former BJP minister Narottam Mishra.

BJP state president Rakesh Singh also hit out at the Congress government for diverting public attention from the core issues related to farmers, poor pensioners and law and order. “The Congress government lacks vision and commitment. The idea of formation of legislative council is to oblige some selected leaders. Instead, government should focus on priorities like relief to the farmers and flood affected and pension to the poor. Farmers are crying, committing suicide and the government is passionate about formation of legislative council. All this is being done to divert public attention from the core issues” he said. Sources said that the legislative affairs department has already prepared a draft proposal for formation of legislative council according to legal provisions and got it checked by the law department.

The proposed construction of rest house is being opposed not only by a section of politicians but also by general public. The main contention is that the rest houses will be built at the cost of greenery. The other arguments against the project is that: 1. Already adequate accommodation is available for the legislators 2. Originally accommodation was built for 320 legislators. After bifurcation of Madhya Pradesh, 90 legislators were shifted to Chhattisgarh. Thus, 90 rest houses are lying vacant. Besides government allocated more than 60 bunglows to legislators. 3. Some years back a number of houses were built and were allotted to MLAs on ownership basis. But most of legislators sold them and are being used commercially.

Former Chief Secretary Mrs. Nirmala Buch in a letter addressed to the Speaker pointed out that greenery in Bhopal has been reduced from 66 percent to 22. Mrs. Buch reminded that in 2016 such a project was announced by the then Speaker. But after massive protests by the people it was given up. She hoped that wisdom will prevail again and the project will finally be dropped. If not future generations will curse us for destroying the environment of Bhopal, she said in the letter. (IPA Service)