Cooperation Minister Dr Damodar Rout on Monday told the State Assembly that he has turned to be a “helpless and inefficient” Minister as the influence of bureaucrats is on the rise in his department.
Rout said this while replying to an Adjournment Motion on the closure of sugar mills brought by the opposition Congress and on the remarks of Opposition members that he is an efficient Minister.
“Don’t make me feel ashamed by terming me as an efficient Minister. Had I been efficient, sugar mills wouldn’t have been defunct. I would have revived them. Hence, I am inefficient and helpless. Influence of bureaucrats is more than the Minister here,” said Rout.
Participating in the discussion, leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said the Govenrnment has failed to run sugar mills. Consequently, sugar farmers have not got expected profit from growing sugarcane. Congress MlA Naba Kishore Das though the Minister is all efficient and can bring development in the sector, yet the department doesn’t support him.
BJP member Pradeep Purohit said corruption has gripped the department. After an investigation in 2012, the Chairman of the Bijayananda Sugar Mills, Balangir was arrested and sent to jail. But real culprits were yet to be caught and punished, he said.
BJP MlA Bibhuti Bhushan Harichandan, BJD members Prafulla Samal and Dr Nrusingha Sahoo participated in the discussing.
Earlier, the Minister had said that two out of four sugar mills are now operating in the State. While sugar mills at Aska and Baragarh are working, the mills at Badamba and Nayagarh are closed now.