Odisha Assembly Stalled Over Border, Mandi Issues During Zero Hour

Bhubaneswar: The State Assembly on Thursday witnessed pandemonium during Zero Hour after the leader of the Congress Legislature Party Narasingha Mishra raised the Kotia controversy and farmers’ issue in the House.

While Congress MLAs continued to create ruckus in the House on these issues alleging government's failure, Mishra alleged that the steps taken by the government to resolve the border issues is just eyewash.

The government should convene an all-party meeting to discuss the matter. Besides, leaders cutting across the party lines should visit the border areas and discuss with residents regarding their problems. Apart from this, government should boost the morale of the officers working in border districts.

He also grilled the government by raising Mandi problems in different areas across the State. "Even as the discussion on border dispute and mandi issues is over, the government failed to give satisfactory answers. Farmers want to sell their paddy, but government is refusing to buy. So, farmers' issues have remained unsolved," Mishra said.

Senior BJP legislator Jaynarayan Mishra also came down on the government for not purchasing paddy from farmers resulting in massive unrest across the State, especially in the western belt.

"The government has failed in addressing border issues as well as the farmers' problem. Quintals of paddy are piled up in front of several mandis across the State. Farmers are spending sleepless night at the procurement centres. But, it has little impact on the government. Similarly, border issues with West Bengal and Chhattisgarh have surfaced at a time when dispute with Andhra Pradesh has remained unsolved," the BJP MLA said.

BJD MLA Anant Das said, "I feel that there is no problem in convening an all-party meeting to discuss border issues. But, we have a House committee which is looking into the matter.”