The members of the opposition claimed that L&T was owed 20 crore rupees but was not promptly reimbursed. With interest, the sum has now increased to Rs 120 crore.
At the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Monday, chaos reigned due to the opposition’s request for an adjournment not being listed. Congress and BJP members gathered in the House well, causing the Speaker to call an adjournment till 4 p.m.
Opposition The State government came under harsh criticism from the BJP and Congress when L&T seized government property due to unpaid debts.
A proposal for postponement was made in this regard, however Assembly Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha rejected it. After thereafter, representatives of the BJP and Congress gathered inside the well to raise a commotion on the matter.
The members of the opposition claimed that L&T was owed 20 crore rupees but was not promptly reimbursed. With interest, the sum has now increased to Rs 120 crore. The government was trapped by both opposition parties over the matter, and they both demanded an explanation from the State Works Minister.
Arukha made a decision and stated, “A review petition was previously filed with the Supreme Court in relation to the problem. As a result, pursuant Rule 60 (VII), a topic that is already in court cannot be discussed on the House floor.
Mohan Majhi, the top whip for the opposition, disagreed with the decision because the Orissa High Court refused to consider the issue. He demanded a discussion since he felt it was a delicate subject.
Senior Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati joined the league and claimed that between 2004 and 2022, the State government did not prioritise the matter. According to him, a private company has acquired all of the government’s classified data that was kept on various computers.
The business must be immediately blacklisted as a result of this. Bahinipati argued that the assets of government employees who were accountable for the wrongdoing should be taken.
The BJD MLAs in power responded to the opposition by stating that the Assembly Speaker’s decision had to be given priority in the House.
There are other debate venues available. BJD MLAs added that any discussion would affect the case.
It’s important to note that L&T was awarded the contract for the 166 km of road from Sambalpur to Rourkela. The Works department allegedly neglected to give the company Rs 20 crore after the work was finished.
Later, L&T filed a court petition alleging non-payment of its debts. The Odisha Arbitration Centre requested that the government give the corporation the money in 2004. However, the administration appealed the decision to the High Court. After losing the lawsuit in the High Court, the State government appealed to the Supreme Court. After the Supreme Court made a ruling in favour of the firm, the government petitioned the top court for a review. The Rs 20 crore owed has increased to Rs 120 crore in the interim (after including the interest).
The Company then moved the court of Civil Judge (Commercial) as the government did not make the payment even after the court order. The court then ordered the seizure of the property of the government when it did not take any action even after repeated notice. On Friday, the company, with the help of the Police seized government property.
Prasanta Patnaik