Patna: Cutting across party lines, MLCs on Wednesday expressed concern over what they said was laxity of government officials in providing information on the basis of which ministers answer questions raised in the House.
The issue took centre-stage during a question raised by JDU MLC Ram Vachan Rai. He had sought information from the government on whether private boat-owners in Supaul district, who rendered their services during floods in the past three years, had been paid.
Replying to the question, disaster management department minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav maintained that most of the payments had been done and funds had been withdrawn from the treasury for clearing the pending payments.
His reply, however, failed to satisfy the JDU MLC, who claimed he had information that payments had not been made.
Rai was joined by another JDU MLC, Satish Kumar, Kedarnath Pandey of the CPI, Dilip Choudhary of the JDU, Subodh Kumar and Sanjay Prasad of the RJD and Nawal Kishore Yadav of the BJP.
Satish had earlier raised a question of compensation to East Champaran district farmers because of damage caused during the 2017 floods. As the infuriated members began speaking in tandem, council vice-chairman Harun Rashid directed the minister to get the matter inquired.
Finally, minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav announced that he would get the Kosi divisional commissioner to inquire into the matter and direct him to submit a report within a fortnight.
He announced that a copy of the inquiry report would be submitted to the House as well.
A somewhat similar situation arose during a debate on the call attention motion brought by RJD MLC Subodh Kumar in which he claimed that an education department official posted in Supaul had swindled government funds by showing forged deputation of teachers on the basis of a fake high court order.
When education minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma announced that he would get the matter inquired by an official of his department, several members from ruling and Opposition parties became angry and demanded a probe by an official of the finance department.
Finally, the council vice-chairman intervened and directed the education minister to get the matter inquired by a finance department official.