2-day session, Day 1: 11 minutes at Rs 70 lakh

Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service 
Chandigarh, December 13 

Initially proposed as a three-day Winter Session, the treasury benches in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha are learnt to have argued at the Business Advisory Council meeting that since there was no business that needed to be discussed, the length of the session be curtailed by a day and the sittings reduced to two. 

On Day I, as much as Rs 70 lakh of taxpayers’ money was gone in precisely 11 minutes that the 117 MLAs spent in the House. 

   Unlike Assemblies in other states where at least one sitting is held after the obituary references on the first day, the Punjab legislators sat through the obituary references, picked up their papers and left. 

   The MLAs will get Rs 1,500 as daily allowance, travelling allowance at Rs 15 per km, plus the fuel cost for security vehicles escorting them. The expenses are borne by the exchequer.

The per day cost of a House session works out at Rs 70 lakh on an average. This includes the expenses incurred on power and infrastructure. The money spent on the watch and ward staff and police personnel put on duty also goes from the taxpayers’ pocket. In lieu, the MLAs are expected to raise people’s issues.  

Accusing the Congress government of running away from a debate on governance issues, Leader of the Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema (AAP) said: “The government knew they would be cornered on various issues. Therefore, taking advantage of their brute majority in the Business Advisory Council, they curtailed the session.” Sunam MLA Aman Arora said it was mandatory to hold at least 40 sittings in a financial year. “But there have been just five sittings, including four in the monsoon session and one this session.”

Akali leaders Bikram Singh Majithia and Parminder Singh Dhindsa, too, accused the government of evading a debate. “In a day, only 20 questions are listed. There are many issues that need to be raised, but the government won’t have it,” claimed Dhindsa.