Congress gives adjournment notices in LS

New Delhi, Dec 8 (IANS) Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, Gaurav Gogoi and Manish Tewari on Friday gave adjournment notices to discuss some important issues in the Lok Sabha -- air quality crisis in Delhi, Cyclone Michaung impact in Tamil Nadu and the fate of eight ex-navy men in Qatar jail.

Gogoi gave adjournment motion notice to discuss the air quality crisis in Delhi. While Tewari gave the adjournment notice to have a discussion regarding the retired Indian Navy personnel imprisoned in Qatar.

"I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely -- That this House do suspend Zero Hour, Question Hour, and other Businesses of the Day to have a discussion regarding the retired-Indian navy personnel imprisoned in Qatar. Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh, were sentenced by the Qatari court on October 26, 2023."

He said that he has been constantly raising this matter since August 2022 both inside and outside the House but there has been no response of the government for the past 14 months.

"In the meantime the eight Naval Personnel (Retd) have ostensibly been brutally tortured, self incriminating confessions extracted and sentenced to death in a Kangaroo Trail in a couple of perfunctory hearings. The Government has not even called in the Qatari Ambassador to protest the matter strongly. There is no visible protest by the Indian Government," he said.

"Despite the purported acceptance of their appeal, crucial details such as charges, court rationale, and the judgment of the copy of the Court of First Instance remains undisclosed. I therefore urge the government to inform the House of the situation about our Navy personnel in Qatar and the steps taken to bring them back to India. I hereby request permission to raise this matter," Tewari added.

Tagore gave the notice to initiate discussion on the damages in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu due to Cyclone Michaung.

"Situation in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu is highly abnormal followed by the devastating impact of Cyclone Michaung. The aftermath of the cyclone has left communities in a state of misery, with urgent measures required for recovery.

"While relief operations are currently underway in Tamil Nadu, the condition in Chennai remains highly critical. The extent of damages demands immediate and substantial financial support. The central government's recently decided to release Rs 450 crore from the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and approve a Rs 561 crore flood mitigation projects for Chennai. However, in light of the current situation, these funds are inadequate to address the enormity of the challenges faced by the affected regions," he said.

"Considering the gravity of the situation, the House should initiate discussion regarding the condition of Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu and should direct the government for immediate action to release a minimum of Rs 5100 crore to facilitate comprehensive and effective relief efforts," Tagore added.