The State Assembly on Friday witnessed frequent adjournments as Opposition Congress members created pandemonium demanding district-wise recruitment of Grade-IV posts. Opposition Chief Whip Taraprasad Bahinipati raised the issue during the Zero Hour. Drawing attention of the Speaker, Bahinipati said local candidates should be recruited in Grade-IV posts required for a district.
“The system of State-level recruitment to Grade-IV posts for district, tehsil and block-level offices has been a serious problem in KBK and other parts in western Odisha. It is also fuelling regional imbalance and strengthening voice for creation of separate State named Dandakaranya. Before it gets shape of a fireball, regional imbalance has to be removed,” Bahinipati said.
Then a host of Opposition and ruling members raised voice in support of the issue. Members like Subal Sahu, Pradip Purohit, Susant Singh, Balabhadra Majhi and Padmanabh Behera said posts like peons, Revenue Inspectors (RI), Siksha Sahayaks (SS) and Zila Parishad teachers should be recruited district-wise. They gave an example of 24 peons recruited from other districts for Bargarh and narrated how people have resented and rejected it through agitation. They even said it is not possible for SSs and others to work at distant places with a monthly salary of Rs 4,000 only.
leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra too intervened and said the State Government should wake up to sort out regional imbalances prevailing in western and southern areas. “Unemployment problem is acute in western and southern parts of the State. People have been staging agitation protesting employment deprivation and even seeking creation of another State. With the recruitment of 24 persons as peon from other districts for Barharh, aspirations of thousand local candidates have been neglected. Things are moving in such way that a warning as to why outsiders were recruited is being heard. If there is legal bar for district-wise recruitment, that should be shorted out soon,” said Mishra.
Stating that he is against an idea of separation of State, Mishra said the Speaker should not remain silent over the issue in view of its importance. He even urged Deputy Speaker Sananda Marandi to convene a meeting of all-party MlAs to his official chamber to find out ways. To this, when Marandi said he would convey the matter to the Speaker, all Congress members rushed into the Well of the House and shouted slogans.
Marandi adjourned the House for 20 minutes at 12.10 pm and subsequently for two times till 3 pm. When the House reassembled at 3 pm, the Congress members again rushed to the Well of the House and created a ruckus over the same issue. Finally, Speaker Niranjan Pujari adjourned the House till Monday.