Oppn walks out from Assembly after Speaker claims security protocol breach

18/01/2018

JAMMU, Jan 17: Opposition National and Congress members today staged a brief walkout from the assembly as MLAs, cutting across party lines, raised the issue of breach of privileges and protocol of speaker Kavinder Gupta and demanded government's intervention.
National Conference and Congress MLAs walked out of the House for a few minutes after Gupta revealed how his security protocol was breached and was still waiting for a report from the authorities concerned.
"We walked out in support of the speaker and for our rights," Congress legislature party leader Nawag Rigzin Jora said.
Amid sloganeering against the government and in support of the speaker, the opposition took the decision after several members, including both from the PDP and BJP, speaking on the discussion of grants, raised the issue of breach of privileges and protocol by government officials and sought the intervention of the government.
When independent MLA Pawan Gupta was speaking on the issue, the speaker intervened and said he had written to the SSP Jammu as how can the vehicles of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh break his protocol and sought a report.
"I have not received the response till date," he said.
"The speaker is the custodian of the MLA's rights and if he himself is disappointed for breach of his own protocol, then god save this assembly and the state," Jora said.
Parliamentary Affairs minister A R Veeri assured the House that the matter would be probed.
Earlier, CPI(M) legislator M Y Tarigami raised the issue of non-cooperation of ministers and various government officials to the communications for redressal of issues.
"I am heading the house panel on environment but officials are not taking our queries seriously. They are not responding to our communications," he said.
He alleged that the ministers feel it below their dignity to communicate directly with the members and instead personal assistants are being tasked for the same.
The demand for setting up of an house committee was raised by ruling PDP MLA Mohammad Ashraf Mir and was supported by opposition members, including Tarigami and Congress and National Conference legislators.
"I am not satisfied with the reply of the minister concerned. The desilting of river Jhelum is taking place in bits and pieces, especially from Sonawar (in Srinagar) to Pampore (in Pulwama).
"Therefore, I propose setting up of an house committee to supervise and speed up the project," Mir said.
Supporting Mir's demand, Tarigami said, "it is a very serious issue and we want a concrete action plan."
The lone CPI(M) MLA in the state accused the government of casual approach on the issue which, according to him, is directly linked to the safety and security of the people. He cited the example of the devastating 2014 floods.
Earlier, replying to the question of Mir, Irrigation and Flood Control minister Sham Lal Choudhary said to further augment the dredging in river Jhelum, the department has outsourced the work -- in Baramulla and Srinagar -- to a Kolkata-based company which has dredged out 5.06 lakh cum and 5.084 lakh cum, respectively till December last year.
"The desilting or dreding work in outfall channel was restarted in Sopore and Baramulla in 2012 where in two departmental dredgers have been operating continuously. The quantity dredged out till December last year is 5.40 lakh cum," he said.
In response to Mir's another question, Choudhary said there was no proposal for seeking financial assistance from the World Bank for desilting the water bodies falling under the control of Forest, Environment and Ecology department.
However, he said the Irrigation and Flood Control Department in collaboration with Department of Disaster Management and Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction has floated the expression of interest for "consultancy services for conducting surveys, studies, formulation of comprehensive plan and preparation of detailed project report for flood management works of river Jhelum and its tributaries" through project management unit of Jhelum-Tawi flood recovery project funded by the World Bank which includes the study of desilting of water bodies of the Jhelum basin.
The Forest, Environment and Ecology Department through its subordinate wings the Wildlife Protection Department and Wullar Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA) - carry out desilting of various water bodies on regular basis, he said.
Choudhary said the Wildlife Protection Department was managing 20 notified wetlands and water bodies under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
He said the desilting of these water bodies is carried out every year as part of the management practices.
The minister said so far 1.5 square kilometre area of the Wullar lake has been dredged out of the 27 square kilometre of the critically siled area.
Moreover, dredging to the extent of 1.80 kms has been carried out in the Naz Nallah (stream), tributary of Wullar, to restore the connectivity with the marshes, he said.
In addition, he said, the Jammu and Kashmir Lakes and Waterways Development Authority is looking after conservation and management of Dal and Nageen lakes in Srinagar as detailed project report approved by the Centre for an amount of Rs 298.76 crore in which one of the component is dreding and desilting of shore-line of Dal-Nageen lake.
Opposition National Conference (NC) and Congress today also staged a walkout from Legislative Council over the government's alleged failure to ensure grant of an IIT to Kashmir after passage of a resolution in the upper house.
Replying to a question of NC MLC Showkat Hussain Ganai, minister of state (MoS) for Education Priya Sethi told the House that establishment of national-level institutions like IIT, IIM and NIT in different states was prerogative of the government of India (GoI).
She said the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) has sanctioned an NIT in Srinagar and an IIT and an IIM in Jammu. "The out campus of the IIT Jammu has been sanctioned for Kashmir division", She said.
She further said the government has requested to the MHRD for sanctioning the out campus of IIT Jammu in the Kashmir division.
Gania said he was "unsatisfied' by the reply of the minister as asked her whether the central government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi believed in "sab ka saath sab ka vikas".
"We have passed a resolution in this house for demand to grant the IIT to Kashmir as well. During the Omar Abduallh government when GoI sanctioned one Central University to Kashmir, the then state government ensured grant of another Central university to Jammu as well. But what this government is doing so," he said.
Ganai was joined by other NC and Congress members in his protest against the government.
Congress MLA Gulam Nabi Monga accused the government of undermining the dignity of the House by its failure to ensure grant of an IIT in Kashmir.
Sethi tried to pacify them, saying that the government was pursuing the case with the Centre and MHRD.
Unsatisfied by the reply, the members staged walkout from the House.
As the independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid today boycotted the assembly proceedings over an alleged assault by marshals, Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmad Gurezi requested him to return to the House, while speaker Kavinder Gupta assured that he would personally talk to the aggrieved legislator.
"I request Rashid sahib to return to the house. We are here to highlight the public issues and it would not be good to stay out of the House for him, and for his people," Gurezi said immediately after taking the chair from the speaker this afternoon.
He said he was "compelled" to request marshalling out of the legislator from the House yesterday after the latter did not listen to the chair despite being asked to do so repeatedly and continued with the disruption.
Earlier, Gupta said he would personally talk to Rashid to ensure his return to the House.
"Nothing like that (assault on Rashid) had happened. I will personally talk to him," Gupta said after several members, including CPI(M) M Y Tarigami and Congress legislator G A Saroori, raised the issue of alleged roughing up of Rashid by watch and ward staff.
Rashid, who represents the Langate constituency of Kupwara district, yesterday had alleged that he was assaulted by marshals and a person in civvies after being marshalled out of the House. He had announced to boycott the remaining budget session until the incident was probed.
Soon after the House met today, the members expressed displeasure over the treatment meted out to Rashid but pacified on the assurance of the speaker.
Earlier, Congress legislator Usman Majeed Wani raised the issue of alleged baton charge on the party workers in Lal Chowk in the summer capital Srianagar yesterday, protesting against the erratic power supply.
It is the duty of the political activists to highlight the problems of the public but it is unfortunate that they were treated with batons. We demand suspension of the police officer who led the lathicharge," he said and demanded a statement from the government on the issue.
Gupta told Wani that he has taken note of the matter.

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