Teachers agitation echoes in House

BHUBANESWAR: Pandemonium broke out in the Assembly on Tuesday after Congress and the BJP members disrupted the proceedings of the House demanding a firm commitment from the Government on the agitating block-grant High School teachers. Members of the two Opposition parties trooped into the well of the Assembly and shouted slogans against the Government shortly after the reply of Minister of State for School and Mass Education Pratap Jena during the adjournment motion on the agitating teachers.The Minister said the matter was under the scrutiny of a high-power committee headed by the Chief Secretary. The committee was supposed to submit its report in six months, but it has sought more time as a host of issues were involved. The  Government will take a decision on the basis of the recommendations of the committee, he added.Not satisfied with the reply of the Minister, the Opposition members demanded direction from Speaker Pradeep Amat to the Government to resolve the issue at the earliest.Ignoring the demand of the Opposition, the Speaker called a ruling party member to speak on the Orissa Sales Tax (Settlement of Arrears) Bill, 2011 which remained inconclusive.The slogan-shouting  Opposition members disrupted the proceedings and nothing could be heard in the din.Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh and Congress Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan requested the Speaker to act impartially and give a ruling to the government to resolve the agitation which entered  23rd day on Tuesday. The teachers are on the street notwithstanding the rain, they said.NCP Legislature Party leader Amar Prasad Satpathy requested the Speaker to call a meeting of select members in his chamber to discuss the issue.  He said all the members of the House are equally concerned about the problems of the teachers.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ragunath Mohanty said the Opposition members should not disrupt the House demanding further discussion on the issue even after the Minister’s reply.The Speaker, however, adjourned the House and convened a meeting in his office chamber. The meeting was attended by Finance  Minister Prafulla Ghadei,  Ragunath Mohanty, Law Minister Bikram Arukh, Pratap Jena,  Government Deputy Chief Whip Arun Sahu, Bhupinder Singh, Prasad Harichandan, Leader of BJP Legislative Party KV Singhdeo, Damodar Rout (BJD), Amar Prasad Satpathy (NCP), Jayanarayan Mishra (BJP) and Adikanda Sethi (CPI).After the meeting the Speaker directed the Parliamentary Affairs Minister to find an early solution to the teachers’ agitation.