By Md Ilyas
Copyright deccanchronicle
VIJAYAWADA: Assembly Speaker Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu has expressed strong displeasure against state ministers and officials for their “lack of attention” to issues raised in the house during the present session.“Are you recognising the importance of the question hour,” he asked ministers and warned them that “ignoring matters raised during Zero Hour would reduce legislators’ interventions to mere rhetoric.”The assembly’s monsoon session started on Thursday with the question hour. YSR Congress legislators did not attend the assembly as their demand to recognize YSRC as the opposition was not fulfilled.Earlier, speaker Patrudu initiated the question hour and reminded members that issues can be raised for government attention and solutions. “If the concerned ministers are absent, it is customary for their departments to record the issues and respond later.”There was no response from the concerned minister or other ministers to a question posed by a member about an inquiry into the allegations against Vijaya Dairy. The speaker expressed his frustration, asking, “What is the point of Zero Hour if there is no one here to give answers?”Turning to the assembly affairs minister, the speaker said, “This is the assembly. Zero Hour is crucial. Are there officials who listen and respond to the issues raised by MLAs? If nobody responds, it is meaningless.”Supporting the speaker, senior TD legislator Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary stood up to say, “True. It appears no one is paying any attention here. These concerns are being raised in vain.”He called for a system where issues flagged during Zero Hour are properly recorded and referred to relevant departments for redressal.Chowdary recommended designating officials and ministers daily to ensure the matters discussed are documented and acted upon. The Speaker concurred with this.Civil supplies minister Nandendla Manohar stated that arrangements were in place to forward matters raised in Zero Hour to the respective departments, and assured the house that these practices would be followed diligently.
