Saturday, 24 AUGUST 2024 | PNS | BHARADISAIN
The Congress members raised ruckus in the house on the third day of the monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha on Friday. As soon as the proceedings of the day started the leader of opposition (LoP) Yashpal Arya demanded a work adjournment motion under rule 310 for discussion on the issue of disaster. The Congress members created pandemonium in the house when the speaker Ritu Bhushan Khanduri ruled that she will not allow discussion on the issue even under rule 58. The opposition protested and accused the State government of running away from an important public issue. The chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Parliamentary Affairs minister Prem Chand Agarwal and Vikasnagar MLA Munna Singh Chauhan intervened to break the stalemate which was affecting the question hour. After the request made by the government, the speaker allowed a short discussion under rule 58 on the subject. Initiating the discussion, the LoP said the priority should be saving precious lives during disasters. He said that the government machinery was not alert before the disaster and acted after the disaster struck. Arya said that the government claimed that it will rebuild the disaster affected Jyotirmath town and even announced a Rs 1,000 crore package for it but the package is nowhere to be seen on the ground.
Terming the disaster compensation inadequate, the LoP said that norms of disaster relief should be changed. He also accused the government of appointing incompetent officers in the Disaster Management department. Participating in the discussion, the deputy leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Bhuwan Kapdi said thousands of acres of land was inundated in Khatima in the recent flooding. He also demanded that the compensation to the farmers affected by floods should be increased. Manglaur MLA Qazi Nizamuddin said that flooding in Haridwar district is manmade and demanded that the storm drains should be cleaned.
The Congress members again objected when the speaker refused to allow other MLAs to participate in the debate. They staged a walkout in protest against the ruling of the speaker.
In his response the Parliamentary Affairs minister Prem Chand Agarwal said that the State government is sensitive towards disasters and has always taken prompt decisions to mitigate such situations. He said that chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the disaster affected areas after the recent Kedarnath disaster. Agarwal informed that 57 deaths have occurred due to disaster so far in this season. He further informed that 20 people are missing in the recent Kedarnath disaster.
