Impasse over power tariff hike on in Odisha Assembly

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Mar 26:

The impasse in the Odisha Assembly over the power tariff hike announced on Monday continued for the third successive day today with the Opposition stalling proceedings demanding the rollback of the decision.

As soon as Question Hour began, Opposition members rushed to the well of the House waving posters and shouting slogans, forcing the deputy Speaker who was in the chair to adjourn the House till 11.30 am.

The House was adjourned again till 12 pm and then finally till 3 pm as normalcy did not return even after resumption.

A meeting of the Business Advisory Committee convened by the Speaker in an effort to find a way out of the impasse is currently underway. But there is little possibility of a solution being found with the Speaker insisting on more time.

The treasury and opposition members blamed each other for the stalemate.

“We are only raising an issue that the people are agitated about. The only way out of the impasse is the rollback of the decision,” Congress member Anshuman Mohanty said,

BJD member Dibyashankar Mishra, however, blamed the Opposition for the stalemate. ‘They must give an opportunity to the Energy minister to explain why this tariff hike had become inevitable. After all, Gridco has to pay Rs 750 crores to the NTPC towards purchase of power,” he said.

With neither side appearing to be in a mood to come down, the demands of the Works department looks set to be passed in the absence of the Opposition this afternoon, just as the demand of the School and Mass Education was passed yesterday.