The Assembly on Friday witnessed noisy scenes over Gana Sikshaks' (para teachers) issue with the Congress members storming the well demanding a discussion even as the ruling BJD members maintained that it had been discussed in the House recently.
As the Congress members rushed into the well shouting slogans, Speaker Pradip Amat had to adjourn the House till 3.01 pm. While the Congress members raised the issue of Gana Sikshaks who have launched agitation again, the BJD members were demanding that the Polavaram dam project should be stopped in the greater interest of the State.
Raising the issue, Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja said more than 20,000 Gana Sikshaks are again on a dharna seeking fulfilment of their demands.
Referring to the statement made in the House in December by the School and Mass Education Minister assuring career advancement policy for them in the next two months, Saluja demanded that the State Government should immediately announce the decision.
He said if the Government failed to take a decision within the next couple of days, the Congress MLAs will also sit on a dharna at PMG Square.
His party colleague Dambarudhar Ulaka criticised the Government for not keeping its promise even after three months. Ulaka said the Gana Sikshaks are frequently running to the capital city for agitation at a great financial burden to them and getting lathicharged here. The State Government should take a decision to end this, he said.
Pratap Chandra Sarangi (Ind) demanded that the Speaker should direct the State Government to make a statement in the House clarifying when the demands of the Gana Sikshaks will be met.
Several other Congress members, Debi Prasanna Chand, Subal Sahu, Ramchandra Kadam, Sadhu Nepak and Bhujabal Majhi also demanded that the State Government should immediately announce its decision on the Gana Sikshaks to end their agitation.