The Congress on Monday moved a privilege notice against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and 18 of his Council of Ministers for failing to file mandatory action taken reports (ATRs) on Special Mentions to the House within scheduled time.
During the Zero hour, Congress Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan bringing the notice against the Chief Minister and all the Ministers regretted that the rules of business of the House were being breached by the Government. Neither the Chief Minister nor the members of the Council of Ministers cared to comply with the ruling of the Speaker on the issue of Special Mention.
Though the Ministers, including the Chief Minister, are bound by the rules and procedure of the House to present the ATRs on Special Mentions given by the members on important issues within 48 hours, yet the number of compliance reports is pending for last 48 months, Harichandan informed. Since the Chief Minister and 18 other Council of Ministers have violated the rules of the House, the Speaker should admit the privilege notice for discussion and take disciplinary actions against them, he stressed.
He mentioned that the ATRs relating to around 150 Special Mentions were pending for the last 11 sessions in the current 14th Assembly. The Speaker's direction to all the defaulting departments to submit their ATRs during the Winter Session in December, 2012 was also not adhered to.
The Congress law maker regretted that as many as 11 ATRs relating to important Special Mentions are pending with the Home Department under the Chief Minister, while again another 36 are with the Water Resource Department and seven with the Works Department under the Chief Minister. Besides, 40 Special Mentions were pending with the Health and Family Welfare Department, 31 with the Panchayati Raj Department, 36 with the Revenue and Disaster Management, 28 with School and Mass Education Department, 11 in the Industries Department, six in the Forest and Environment Department and five with the law Department, he pointed out.
Sharing the concern of Harichandan, Speaker Aamt ruled that he had received the privilege notice and would inform the House after due examination.