Bhubaneswar: With Opposition Congress and BJP gearing up to corner the BJD government over a host of burning issues, including its ‘inaction’ in the mining scam, the monsoon session of Orissa Legislative Assembly scheduled to open on September 7 is set to be stormy.
The eight-day session – from September 7 to 16 – will have six official and two private members days. During the session, the government is planning to move a number of crucial bills, including two legislations on giving land and dwelling rights to slum dwellers in NACs, municipalities and municipal corporations and legislation for formation of a Higher Education Council.
However, the government’s plan to ensure a smooth conduct of the House is expected to fail as the Opposition parties have geared up to take on the treasury benches with a number of issues. The most important among these is the mining scam.
The August 2 Supreme Court order that goes well in favour of the state government is bound to reduce burden on the state exchequer after recovery of 100 per cent penalty from the erring mining firms which indulged in illegal exploration. However, with the state-run Orissa Mining Corporation being one of the major defaulters which has to fork out a penalty amount of over Rs 2000 crore, the state government is in a fix. Though a month has passed, no demand notice has been issued to the erring firms and the Opposition parties are set to take advantage of this situation to target the government in the ensuing session, sources said.
According to sources, Opposition parties will also target the government for its decision to recover the Central Empowered Committee’s estimation of Rs 17,500 crore fines from the mining firms against its earlier decision of recovering of Rs 58,000crore from them.
“This speaks volumes about the real motive of the state government,” said Congress MLA Bhujabal Majhi, adding, “We will raise this issue in the House.” He said that the delay in restoration work in the flood-affected areas, especially in Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri and others will also be raised in the House.
The state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already decided to launch a state-wide agitation over government’s alleged inaction in the mining scam and is also set to raise this issue on the floor of the House. Besides, it has also armed itself with other key issues, like the outbreak of swine flu and dengue, sky-rocketing of market prices of essential commodities and ponzi scheme scam to target the BJD government in the Assembly.
Leaders of both the Opposition parties said that they will give shape to their strategy in the legislature party meetings to be held a day before the session.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJD said that it is prepared to face the Opposition parties on the floor. BJD chief whip Amar Satpathy said that the BJD will also hold its legislature party meeting September 6 evening in which it will prepare its strategy for the short session.
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