Bhubaneswar, 24 September (H.S.): The first half of the Odisha Assembly’s Monsoon Session was disrupted on Thursday as opposition BJD and Congress members protested against the MMDR Act, demanding its withdrawal on the grounds that it was against the interests of the state.

Soon after the House assembled at 10.30 a.m., opposition members raised slogans over the issue and later trooped into the Well of the House carrying placards. The protests disrupted the Question Hour and other scheduled proceedings.

Deputy Speaker Bhawani Shankar Bhoi appealed to the protesting members to return to their seats and cooperate in conducting the proceedings. However, the opposition members continued their demonstration, creating a noisy atmosphere in the House.

Amid the uproar, the Deputy Speaker called upon Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling to respond to a question raised by Angul MLA Pratap Chandra Pradhan. Despite the continued sloganeering, Mahaling proceeded with his response, though his remarks could not be clearly heard from the media gallery because of the noise.

Later, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari was asked to respond to another question concerning damage and compensation related to the previous floods in the state. He continued answering amid the protests, but the situation did not return to normal.

With the disruption continuing, Deputy Speaker Bhawani Shankar Bhoi adjourned the proceedings until 4 p.m.

The latest disruption came a day after similar protests had affected the proceedings of the Assembly. Opposition members had protested against the MMDR Act and demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond.

The Monsoon Session began on Tuesday. After obituary references to deceased legislators and a condolence motion over the floods in Nepal, opposition members had launched protests over the MMDR Act and other issues, resulting in disruption of the House proceedings.

With the continued protests over the past three days, the Assembly has so far witnessed repeated disruptions, affecting the scheduled legislative business.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda