Winter session begins today at Dharamsala with record legislative load

The much-anticipated winter session of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly will begin on Wednesday at the Tapovan Vidhan Sabha complex in Dharamsala, coinciding with the observance of Constitution Day. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said this year’s session will be the longest ever held in Dharamsala, running from November 26 to December 5, with 10 days scheduled and at least eight working sittings.

This year’s session reflects a notable shift in legislative procedure: for the first time, all questions and notices have been submitted online. Pathania said the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat has received 744 questions from MLAs — 604 starred and 140 unstarred — which have been forwarded to the government for replies during the session. In addition, the House received a wide range of notices for discussion: 11 under Rule 62, four under Rule 63, seven under Rule 101, 16 under Rule 130 and one under Rule 324.

The issues flagged by members reveal the pulse of public concern across the state. Questions this time heavily focus on disaster relief and Central assistance following the year’s devastating events, delayed DPRs for road projects, repair and construction of bridges, school mergers, upgrading health and educational institutions, filling vacant government posts, drinking water supply schemes, tourist infrastructure, the rise in criminal cases and drug abuse among youth and constituency-specific development gaps.

Two days, November 28 and December 4, have been fixed for non-official member working days. With the completion of this winter session, the Assembly will have conducted 35 sittings in 2025: 15 during the budget session, 12 in the monsoon session and eight in the ongoing session.