Digvijaya Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia write to MP CM on slaughterhouse, Sainik School

Bhopal: A day after prodding the Kamal Nath government on farm loan waiver and cow protection, senior Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia wrote to the CM Kamal Nath — one to ask for a Sainik School in Bhind and the other against relocating a slaughterhouse from Bhopal.

Scindia, who on Friday asked the government to fulfil its farm loan waiver promise in entirety, wrote to CM Nath and defence minister Rajnath Singh about the “people’s demand for a Sainik School in Bhind”.

The letter to Nath says, “During my Bhind visit, Congress legislators, office-bearers, social workers and members of the public placed a demand before me — that it is necessary for the defence ministry to set-up an Army school. You must be knowing that in Madhya Pradesh, the maximum number of youth from Bhind get into Army and paramilitary forces.”

The letter argued that for years Bhind has been demanding an Army school, which would also provide an opportunity to children of neighbouring districts in Gwalior-Chambal region — Morena, Sheopur, Datia, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Guna and Ashoknagar — to study there and prepare for a career in the forces. “I have full faith that MP government will consider this sympathetically and seriously and send its recommendation soon to the defence ministry,” the letter says.

Digvijaya turned his attention to the slaughterhouse controversy. “Adampur Chavni slaughterhouse was proposed near Kankali Mata Temple Road in Tarawali village. Since there are several temples in the area, local residents oppose construction of the abattoir. The decision of the erstwhile BJP government was against people’s sentiments and it hurt my sentiments also,” Digvijaya wrote to the CM on Saturday.

The former CM said that he had written to to minister for urban administration Jaivardhan Singh (his son) on September 21 this year, seeking to stop construction of the abattoir. “The minister immediately stopped construction,” the letter said.

Singh argued that an existing slaughterhouse can be upgraded. “There is a slaughterhouse near Jinsi Square in Bhopal for several decades. It can be modernized in accordance with environmental norms,” Digvijaya said, adding: “I will be people’s intervener in the meeting with NGT. The government should seek six months’ time to modernize the old slaughterhouse. I suggest that permission for the proposed Adampur Chavni slaughterhouse be cancelled and action taken to expand and modernise the existing Jinsi Square slaughterhouse,” the letter says.