Odisha Assembly adds one more working hour to its daily functioning

During Covid-19 times, the House was functioning for five hours

By Kishore Mohapatra

Bhubaneswar, June 30: With some changes in the timings, one more hour has been added to the working hour of the Odisha Legislative Assembly during the monsoon session which will commence on July 2 and continue till August 4.

“The House will now function for six hours with the afternoon session starting from 4 pm and it will continue till 7 pm instead of 6 pm,” said Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha.

“During Covid-19 pandemic times, the House was functioning for five hours. However, as per the decision taken in the all party meeting, the working hour has been increased by one hour,” he added.

With the Covid-19 pandemic surging with a less alarming rate in the state, the Opposition parties had suggested smooth functioning of the House. However, Speaker Arukha said not to take much risk as the active cases have witnessed a surge in the state.

The House will commence with strict adherence to Covid protocols.

Meanwhile, the BJP and Congress leaders demanded the entry of journalists into the House and also the physical presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the House during important discussions.

“We have demanded the entry of journalists into the House as per the procedure in the Parliament. But the government has not given any assurance in this regard,” said senior BJP leader Bishnu Charan Sethi.

In fact, journalists have been barred from entering the main building of the Assembly since the Covid-19 pandemic began. They are made to sit in a different building and watch the House proceedings on big television screens.

The BJP leader said his party would raise the issue of chit fund scam and mining scam on the floor of the House, besides irregularities in allotment of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.