Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar has clarified that there was no need for his permission to arrest MIM Floor leader and Chandrayangutta MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, who was facing several criminal cases for delivering hate speeches at public meetings in Nirmal town of Adilabad district recently.
Interacting with media persons at Assembly Committee Hall on Friday, Manohar said the Speaker would intervene only when a member was being obstructed from attending the House when it was in session. He said the Speaker’s interference depends on the nature of the case.
Manohar also said that he had instructed the Legislature Secretary to submit a report within 48 hours after receiving a memorandum submitted by TDP MLA Paritala Sunitha. “TDP MLA’s case is different. She expressed her anguish over the police raiding her house at midnight though she is a woman legislator”, he added.
The Speaker said he has not yet decided whether to refer Akbaruddin’s issue to Ethics Committee or not. He requested the members to maintain the dignity of the House. He said as the House was not in session, the police need not take his permission to initiate action against the MIM floor leader. He said that he was also receiving several e-mails and phone calls on Akbaruddin’s issue.
The Speaker said that his New Year’s biggest target was to set up Standing Committees and make them work like Parliament Standing Committees. He said that already Rules Committee had been set up and he was contemplating to conduct Orientation Classes to the Committee members. He said that he was inviting the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s chairmen too to the orientation classes. He said that 12 committees would be set up and all the members of both the Houses would get a chance as member of the Committees. He said that he has not yet received any communiqué from the government regarding commencement of budget session. He said the government would decide the date of commencement of Assembly session.
The Speaker said the meeting of Environment and Pollution Control House Committee was held on Friday today and it decided to provide purified water to the fluoride-affected villages in Nalgonda district with the help of several NGOs. He said the Nalgonda Collector would come back with a comprehensive report on it. He said that already 613 villages were getting Krishna water and the remaining villages, particularly remote villages have to get purified water and the NGOs will do the job.
The Speaker said that he has already directed the Singareni Collieries management to concentrate on environment and stop dumping wastage at the tribal hamlets. He said the tribals affected by waste dumping were migrating to other places for protection. He said that open-cast mining was causing environmental pollution, particularly noise and air pollution and the Singereni management has to concentrate on these issues.
–Agencies