Bhubaneswar, July 16: The Congress and the BJP today stalled the Assembly proceedings over alleged misutilsation of government land allotted to set up industries in the city.

Last week, in a written answer, the government admitted that 251 plots allotted in Mancheswar industrial estate and another 161 plots leased out to industries in the Chandka industrial area in the city had been lying unutilised or diverted for other purposes. The comptroller and auditor general, in its latest report, had pointed out that entrepreneurs had raised huge amount of money from financial institutions by mortgaging the land provided by the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) for the purpose of setting up industries.

The House witnessed uproarious scenes with the Congress and BJP members rushing to the Well and forcing Speaker Niranjan Pujari to adjourn the proceedings several times.

“The government is afraid of discussing an adjournment motion on the issue as its misdeeds will be exposed. Many ruling party politicians and bureaucrats are involved in the scam,” alleged Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati.

He said the Speaker had accepted their notice for the motion but subsequently did not allow it.

BJP legislature party leader Basant Kumar Panda said the Speaker was the custodian of the House and not of the 116 ruling party MLAs. “Adjournment motion is the right of the Opposition and it should not be trampled by a brute majority,” he said.

Normality was restored in the House after Speaker called the leaders of all parties where it was decided that the motion would be taken up for discussion in the coming days.

Industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra said: “I will reply to each and every allegation, if the matter is taken up for discussion. The government has not protected the violators,” he said.

Mishra said the Speaker had disallowed the motion on the technical grounds.

The Opposition, however, had given a notice to allow an adjourment motion on the alleged nexus between the industries and Idco and the helplessness of the government. But, it was disallowed — which made the Opposition members angry.

As soon as the House met, Bahinipati raised the issue and urged the Speaker to reconsider the decision. But as his plea was ignored, the angry Congress members stormed the Well, shouting slogans. They tried to disrupt the proceedings by raising slogans and thumping the Speaker’s table. Later, the BJP members also joined them.

The uproarious scenes continued till afternoon. Finding it difficult to run the House, despite several adjournments, Speaker Pujari had sought the co-operation of the Opposition members.