Bhubaneswar, July 10: The Congress today criticised the state government for its failure to place the report of S.K. Mohanty Commission on regional imbalance, submitted way back in 2008.

Leader of the Opposition, Narasingha Mishra, told the government that if it could not table the report, he would place a copy of it in the house. Although the Speaker did not allow Mishra, the Opposition leader placed what was purported to be the Commission’s report.

Mishra said that the government had set up a Commission in 2004 headed by Justice S.K. Mohanty to go into regional imbalance and recommend remedial measures. The Commission submitted its report to the government in 2008. Under the provisions of Commission of Inquiry Act, a report is supposed to be placed in the state Assembly along with an action taken report within six months.

“Not six months.... six years have passed. The government has not laid the report before the state legislature in the utter disregard to the house and laws,” said Mishra.

The Congress veteran, a former law minister, said chief minister Naveen Patnaik always says, “Law will take its own course.”

“Will the law be carried as per the whims of somebody,” he asked.

He urged the Speaker to direct the government to make the report public. “We are law-makers. Let the people not think that we have become lawbreakers. The chair has a responsibility to enforce the law,” he said.

Remand

The district and sessions court in Bhubaneswar today sent Sudipta Sen, head of the Sarada Group of Companies, who was involved in money laundering in both Bengal and Odisha, on 10 days police remand. In another development the enforcement directorate today obtained a 10-day remand of the prime accused Deepak Gupta and his associate Satyabrat Rout in connection with Odisha’s multi-crore Uliburu mining scam.