Opposition absent, debate on Antarctic Bill put off

New Delhi, July 21

In one of the rare occasions, the Lok Sabha was today adjourned after Union Minister Jitendra Singh asked the Chair to defer the discussion on a key legislation, the Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022, since Opposition members were not present in the House.

Key legislation

It is my request that the Indian Antarctic Bill be taken up for consideration only when Opposition members are present as it is an important legislation. — Jitendra Singh, Union Minister

“It is an important Bill. I think the Opposition should be present to participate in the discussion,” Singh said.

Subsequently, Biju Janata Dal’s Bhartruhari Mahtab, who was in the Chair, adjournment the proceedings after having taken the sense of the House.

After three days of continuous logjam, the Lok Sabha today functioned during the pre-lunch hours, with the majority of Opposition members skipping the proceedings.

Several Opposition members were not present in the House, with many of them protesting outside over Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald money laundering case.

The Bill to lay down rules to regulate a range of activities on territories in Antarctica was introduced by Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha on April 1.

It seeks to give effect to the Antarctic Treaty, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.

It seeks to protect the Antarctic environment and regulate activities in the region, prohibiting a range of activities in the region such as waste disposal, mining, dredging, nuclear testing and other activities that threaten the pristine environment of the continent and prescribes penal provisions in case of violations.