Odisha Assembly today witnessed uproar and was adjourned in the wake of protest by ruling BJD members over the issue of "tardy" Central grant to Odisha for post-cyclone and flood relief and restoration work.
The issue was raised during the Zero Hour. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister S N Patro said that as against the state government's demand of an advance assistance of Rs 1000 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund to meet the situation arising after cyclone Phailin and resultant floods, the Centre has released only Rs 250 crore.
Supporting the minister, treasury bench members shouted slogans against the Centre.
"The state government has submitted two memoranda demanding Rs 5832 crore. The Prime Minister announced Rs 1,000 as advance. However, finally the state got only Rs 250 crore," said the government deputy whip Sanjay Dasburma.
When the opposition Congress alleged the BJD members were raising the issue in order to stop discussion on the lady teacher killing case on which they have served notice for an adjournment motion, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kalpataru Das said "it is spontaneous reaction of the treasury bench. They have the right to protest the Centre's action."
Senior BJD MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy criticised the Centre. "When the Centre promptly announced package for Uttarakhand and Assam, it did not do so in case of Odisha," he said adding that neither Prime Minister Manmohan Singh nor UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi visited the state during the twin calamities of cyclone and floods.
