MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The three-day Monsoon Session of the State Legislative Assembly will commence on Wednesday. The session, which will pass the State Budget 2021-22, is expected to be stormy as the Opposition has been pressing for a full-fledged sitting of the House.
Legislature Secretary Namrata Ulman said since the session is of three days they have permitted four calling attention motions and seven Zero Hour mentions each day. “There will be voting and passing of Demand for Grants,” she said.
Ulman said in wake of COVID-19, visitors will not be allowed to attend the session.
The daily sitting of the House might run till late, as four ministers are slated to reply on Demand for Grants on Wednesday, five each are slated on Thursday and Friday.
The crucial bill to form the Goa Mining Corporation will be tabled in the session and is expected to be passed, paving the way for resumption of iron ore mining operations.
Speaker Rajesh Patnekar, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and Legislative Affairs Minister Mauvin Godinho met to decide the proceedings of the House.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Godinho said the session has been curtailed in view of COVID-19. “Every MLA will have to ensure that they raise the issues within the limited time allocated to them. We cannot let MLAs talk for hours. Everyone will get the opportunity,” he said.
Godinho said while the Opposition terms the House the “temple of democracy” they also don’t allow it to run. “They will try to disrupt the House on the very first day. One side they will say they don’t get opportunity but when they get it, they run into Well,” he said.
Issues ranging from COVID management to the State’s financial position, linear projects, Mhadei River diversion, resumption of mining activities, revival of State economy and law and order, are expected to be taken up by the Opposition, as technically, this could be the last session before the State goes for general elections in February 2022.
Meanwhile, the opposition held a joint meeting to discuss its strategy for the session.
Post the meeting, Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat said they are prepared for the session. “We have been demanding a 15-day or 10-day session but the government is not ready. Government is not ready to debate on the Floor of House,” he said.
Kamat said there are various issues like the linear projects, coal hub, Mhadei, COVID, which need to be discussed and people want to know the government’s stand on them.
Earlier in the day, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) legislative wing met and alleged that the government is scared to face the Opposition as they are guilty of defrauding those who have elected them.
“BJP is scared to face the Opposition, who will expose them on the Floor. They don’t want to face the people in the Assembly. They want no discussion or debate, the fuels of democracy. They don’t want to be questioned on the abject failure that they have been in every department. They are running scared,” GFP president Vijai Sardesai said.
Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro on Tuesday rued the curtailment of the Assembly session and the move to pass the State budget without any discussion. “It is exactly a year ago when I raised objection to the passing of annual budget of Rs 22,000 crore for the financial year 2020-2021 without any debate or discussion,” he recalled.
Faleiro said last year he had suggested that the government should reconstruct or revise the budget in view of new priorities and to debate it in the House.
The Navelim MLA said he had requested the government not to pass the Rs 22,000 cr budget on a single day without any debate.
Faleiro had also suggested that due to COVID-19 pandemic the government should think out of the box and hold a virtual Assembly so that members will get sufficient time to debate various issues concerning the State.
