Longer monsoon session will help meet 35 Assembly sittings in a year norm: Himachal Speaker

Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Pathania today said that a longer monsoon session of the 14th Vidhan Sabha having 12 sittings would help in fulfilling the norm of holding a minimum of 35 sittings in a year.

Pathania, while addressing mediapersons here, said that 15 sittings were held during the Budget session earlier this year and 12 sittings during the monsoon session would take the tally to 27. “The total number of sittings in the 14th Vidhan Sabha in the past two and a half years will touch 85 after the monsoon session. Our endeavour is to ensure that this time we are able to meet the 35 sittings norm after the completion of the winter session later this year,” he added.

He said that an all-party meeting had been convened at 12 noon on August 18, the opening day of the monsoon session. He added that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Chief Whip of the Congress and the Chief Whip of the Opposition would attend the meeting to ensure the smooth conduct of the session. “I hope the members, cutting across party lines, will extend their full cooperation for the smooth functioning and optimum utilisation of the scheduled 12 sittings during the monsoon session,” he added.

The Speaker said that till now, 830 questions (679 starred and 151 unstarred) had been received from the legislators. Besides, 10 notices under Rule 62, six under Rule 101 and 12 notices under Rule 130 had been received and forwarded to the government, he added.

He said that most of the questions submitted pertained to the relief and restoration work for damage caused due to natural disasters. Besides, the queries were mostly related to the vacancies in the Health, Education and other departments and the condition of roads and bridges damaged during the monsoon season.