Diu, Daman and DNH residents demand legislative assembly

SURAT: After organizing a successful bandh to protest against Gujarat high court’s suggestion that Daman be merged with Gujarat, residents are now preparing to launch a campaign to demand partial statehood and legislative assembly like Puducherry for Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH).
Daman-Diu Pradesh Congress Committee (DDPCC) has announced its plan to launch a public campaign to demand partial statehood and mini-legislative assembly for the Union territories of Daman, Diu and DNH.
Congress workers will be launching a massive signature campaign in all the three territories in the next few days and a letter will be sent subsequently to President and Prime Minister.
Under Articles 377 and 377A, Puducherry and New Delhi were allowed to have legislative assemblies considering the population of these territories. However, they function with limited powers, unlike the legislative assemblies of other states. In 2014, the then UPA government had sought the views of the administrator of the Union territories of Daman, Diu and DNH on forming legislative assembly for the UTs. A 31-member Parliamentary Standing Committee had submitted its report recommending a joint assembly for Diu, Daman and DNH.
DDPCC president Ketan Patel told TOI, “It is a long-pending demand to have a joint legislative assembly for the UTs. A movement was launched in 2005 to get an assembly for these UTs. Now, we are again starting the movement for the assembly. If an assembly is set up here, then with the help of civic bodies, we can definitely bring developments in the UTs,” Patel said.