Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly Bikram Keshari Arukha held an all-party meeting

Bhubaneswar:20/2/23: Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly Bikram Keshari Arukha held an all-party meeting here on Monday to ensure that the businesses during the upcoming budget session are conducted smoothly.

After the All-party meeting, Arukha told the media persons that all the members can attend the Assembly proceedings occupying their respective seats and the MLAs, who are unwell, can attend the Assembly through video-conferencing (VC) mode.

The Press gallery will also be opened for media persons. This time, it was decided to allow the general public to witness the Assembly proceedings as it was done during the pre-Covid time, Arukha added.

The Speaker hoped that members from all parties would allow the House to function smoothly and raise public interest issues properly during the budget session.

However, the BJP boycotted the all-party meeting. The saffron party leaders opposed the proposal for virtual attendance of MLAs during the session

Opposition Chief Whip, Mohan Majhi has said that the murder of health minister Naba Das raises finger towards the law & order situation in the state and the issue will be raised among others in Assembly proceedings.

The budget session will be held in two phases – the first phase from February 21 to March 1 and the second phase from March 10 to April 6.

The session will start with the address of Governor Ganeshi Lal on February 21 while the annual budget for the year 2023-24 will be presented on February 24.

Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) RP Sharma on Monday reviewed the security arrangements and informed that elaborate security has been put in place to prevent any kind of untoward incident near the Assembly.

In view of the various agitations which are likely to come up during the ensuing session near the Assembly area, the DGP said agitators can stage their protest peacefully but they should not resort to any violent activities.

At the place of agitation, barricading has been done and CCTV cameras have also been installed. At least 30 platoons of the police forces will be deployed around the State Assembly building, said the DGP.

Besides, two DCPs, 10 Additional DCPs and 11 ACPs will be present in the high-security zone to prevent untoward incidents, he added.

Besides, the Commissionerate Police has issued traffic regulations and restrictions on vehicular movement on the roads in the vicinity of the Odisha Assembly during the upcoming Budget session. The regulations will be effective from February 21 to March 1 and March 10 to April 06.