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Journalism of Courage
August 7: The truth about our MLAs we all have known all along is now part of a top-secret document. A `special summary’ report prepared by the Home Ministry, a copy of which will soon be sent to the union home minister, Indrajit Gupta, says that no business was transacted in the just-concluded Monsoon session of the Maharashtra Assembly. The 16-day session cost the state exchequer Rs 4.48 crore. The house, though met only on 10 days.
Even these 10 days were not utilised properly. The Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) was in session for only 37 hours, while Vidhan Parishad (legislative council) clocked only 33 hours!
The report has at length described the strategy of the opposition parties hell bent “on creating scenes and in no mood for any serious business.” Of 10 days the assembly actually met, no seven days proceedings were disrupted by opposition parties on seven days.
The main subject which was discussed and rediscussed was the “fast deteriorating” law and order problems and the “inefficiency” of the city police. The subject dominated the agenda almost every day. The discussion consumed over eight hours in assembly and over 10 hours in council.
An IPS officer, who supervised and coordinated the security and other related arrangements during the assembly session, the exercise cost the department over Rs 3 lakh per day. This does not include the round-the-clock vigil of para-military forces including the State Reserve Police (SRP) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) around the Vidhan Bhavan.
Another important detail not included in summary is fate of various departmental inquiries and investigations conducted by the senior officers and those had to be stalled. All such inquiries came to a grinding halt during those two weeks and in fact are still reeling under the aftermath of the assembly. The report also mentions that the Vidhan Bhavan building was constructed in the late eighties and it cost the state over Rs 9,46,75,000, while the new MLA hostel `Manora’ inaugurated last year was built at the cost of Rs 28,00,00,000.
