The Congress and BJP members belonging to western Odisha on Monday expressed their concern over the State Government’s attitude over the demand for establishment of permanent Bench of the Odisha High Court in their region and urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to hold another talk with the Central Action Committee (CAC) of advocates to address the issue.
Raising the issue during Question Hour, leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh and Congress leaders Anup Sai, Naba Kishore Das, Surendra Singh Bhoi and Santosh Singh Saluja, BJP lP leader Jayanarayan Mishra and KV Singh Deo alleged that the State Government was encouraging divisive forces to intensify the separate “Kosal State” demand.
They said that while the CAC was continuing its bandh in support of the demand for High Court Bench in western Odisha, the supporters of separate Kosal State had also forced a bandh in entire western Odisha on Monday. Due to the bandh, the offices were closed, while vehicular traffic was paralysed putting the people in hardship.
They lamented that though the Chief Minister held a talk with the CAC delegation, the talk failed in the absence of any categorical assurance from the Government on the setting up of the High Court Bench. For the interest of the State, the Chief Minister should invite the CAC for another round of talk to resolve the vexed issue, they suggested.