BHUBANESWAR: The BJP MLAs on Tuesday created ruckus in the state assembly over non-allocation of funds to the proposed Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System in the supplementary budget presented in Vidhan Sabha on November 30.
Moments after the house reconvened for the day, the BJP members raised anti-government slogans and stormed into the well of the house. They displayed posters highlighting no budgetary allocation for the Rs 1246.56-crore project announced by chief minister Naveen Patnaik on October 16. Speaker Pradip Amat adjourned the house for an hour till 11.30 am.
Making a statement on the issue, when the house reassembled, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, "the issue of non-allocation for the project is not a fact." In the annual budget 2017-18, an amount of Rs 1.50 crore has been allocated under the pre-project activities of 58 projects including the Bijepur project, he said.
"Government has already created a working division at Bijepur with one executive engineer, three assistant executive engineers and six junior engineers with other support staff to look after this project exclusively," Naveen told the assembly.
The BJP workers continued shouting slogans when the CM made the statement. Naveen asked them to cooperate and not shed crocodile tears on the issue. The speaker adjourned the house till 3 pm. The BJP members staged dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the assembly premises.
Speaking to reporters outside the assembly, Naveen repeated his advice to the BJP not to disrupt the house and instead help in building the second Brahmani bridge near Rourkela. The CM's reference to Brahmani came day after he wrote a letter to Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari highlighting delay in beginning of works of the project.
BJP MLA Pradip Purohit said after the government was exposed about its populist announcement without allocating funds, Naveen is trying to mislead the people. A token amount for pre-project activities can't help the project get commissioned. If the government has the intention to complete the project, it must make necessary allocation, he said.
Post-lunch, government chief whip Amar Prasad Satpathy moved motion in the assembly over Mahanadi water dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The speaker referred the matter to the business advisory committee of assembly to decide a date for discussion on the issue.
Moments after the house reconvened for the day, the BJP members raised anti-government slogans and stormed into the well of the house. They displayed posters highlighting no budgetary allocation for the Rs 1246.56-crore project announced by chief minister Naveen Patnaik on October 16. Speaker Pradip Amat adjourned the house for an hour till 11.30 am.
Making a statement on the issue, when the house reassembled, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, "the issue of non-allocation for the project is not a fact." In the annual budget 2017-18, an amount of Rs 1.50 crore has been allocated under the pre-project activities of 58 projects including the Bijepur project, he said.
"Government has already created a working division at Bijepur with one executive engineer, three assistant executive engineers and six junior engineers with other support staff to look after this project exclusively," Naveen told the assembly.
The BJP workers continued shouting slogans when the CM made the statement. Naveen asked them to cooperate and not shed crocodile tears on the issue. The speaker adjourned the house till 3 pm. The BJP members staged dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the assembly premises.
Speaking to reporters outside the assembly, Naveen repeated his advice to the BJP not to disrupt the house and instead help in building the second Brahmani bridge near Rourkela. The CM's reference to Brahmani came day after he wrote a letter to Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari highlighting delay in beginning of works of the project.
BJP MLA Pradip Purohit said after the government was exposed about its populist announcement without allocating funds, Naveen is trying to mislead the people. A token amount for pre-project activities can't help the project get commissioned. If the government has the intention to complete the project, it must make necessary allocation, he said.
Post-lunch, government chief whip Amar Prasad Satpathy moved motion in the assembly over Mahanadi water dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The speaker referred the matter to the business advisory committee of assembly to decide a date for discussion on the issue.
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