Assembly kicks off with storm over green cess scam charges

Members of the Opposition parties interact with the ruling party legislators on the opening day of the Monsoon Session in the Goa Legislative Assembly, in Porvorim on Monday.

Photo Credits: Narayan Pissurlenkar

MAPUSA
The monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly began on a confrontational note on Monday, with Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao accusing the government of manipulating legislative procedures to suppress debate on key issues, including an alleged Rs 4,000 crore Green Cess scam.

Raising a point of order as soon as the House convened, Alemao alleged that his starred question on the recovery of Green Cess had been arbitrarily converted into an unstarred one, thereby avoiding open discussion.

"This is the third time this has happened. There’s a Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crore scam here. This is nothing short of ‘hatya of lok shahi’ – a murder of democracy," Alemao said, further accusing the government of being beholden to corporate interests.

"This government is in love with coal… and with Jindal," he charged.

Responding sharply, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hit back, saying the true "murder of democracy" occurred during the Emergency.

He added that the issue raised by Alemao would be taken up on July 28.

Adding to the storm, Fatorda MLA and Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai raised concerns over demolition notices issued by panchayats and the Public Works Department (PWD) to nearly 4,500 houses across North and South Goa for road-widening projects.

“You have to listen to the people. You cannot bulldoze over the Bahujan Samaj. This government is not concerned about the common people,” Sardesai said, adding to the uproar.

As the heated exchanges disrupted proceedings, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar urged members to maintain decorum and allow the Question Hour to continue. After nearly six minutes of ruckus, order was restored and the session resumed.

The opening day set the tone for what is expected to be a charged session, with the Opposition signalling a combative stance on key governance and accountability issues.