GUWAHATI, Feb 6: The Assam government has spent more than Rs 5,823 lakh towards expenditure on air travel for the chief minister and other dignitaries since May 2021, the assembly was informed on Tuesday.
General administration department minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass, replying to a written question by Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi, said chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had not availed air travel facility for personal or party-related activities on government expenditure.
Dass said a total of Rs 5,823.07 lakh has been spent on charges for air travel of the chief minister, other ministers and dignitaries from May 10, 2021, till January 30, 2024.
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The CM has not availed air travel on government expenditure for personal work, work not related to his official duty or the political party he represents, the minister added.
Earlier, the Assembly was adjourned twice on Tuesday by speaker Biswajit Daimary as opposition and treasury bench members engaged in verbal duels and refused to be pacified even when the chair intervened several times.
The first adjournment was for 10 minutes during the Question Hour when MLAs of the ruling, as well as opposition parties, were locked in debates, ignoring appeals by Daimary to maintain decorum.
The MLAs of the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress were seen exchanging words during a question on the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in the state.
Public Health Engineering Department minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, giving a reply, said that Rs 6,500 was paid per month to Jal Mitras, employed under the JJM.
As Congress MLAs and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi demanded to know what the minimum wage in the state was and whether the state government deemed the amount paid to the Jal Mitras to be adequate, they engaged in an altercation with the treasury bench.
The speaker urged both sides to refrain from arguing but as the ruckus persisted, Daimary adjourned the proceedings for 10 minutes.
When the House re-assembled, Daimary requested the members to abide by the rules and procedures for the conduct of business in the House.
“No one was there for my protection, I felt alone in conducting the proceedings,” he said, referring to how both ruling and opposition members did not heed his words.
Quoting the assembly rule book, the speaker said, “I request the members to allow each other to speak and also let the ministers give their replies.”
The House was adjourned for an hour soon after the end of Question Hour over an adjournment motion brought by AIUDF over eviction drives in Goalpara and Dhubri districts.
As the speaker said the motion is being disallowed and urged the AIUDF to raise the matter under other provisions, the opposition party members persisted with a request for the adjournment motion.
This led the speaker to adjourn the House for one hour, the second adjournment of the day. (PTI)
