Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 25: In a decision that could have bearing on Legislature proceedings in Jammu and Kashmir, a high level Committee of the Speakers from different States constituted by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, has recommended at least 60 sittings of the Legislature every year in all the States if not 100 as proposed by a previous Parliamentary Standing Committee.
The recommendation was made at a high level Committee of Speakers from five States including Jammu and Kashmir, which was constituted by the Lok Sabha Speaker to have detailed review of working of the Legislature across the State including the sittings they were having in a year and recommend measures to make more important the Question and Zero Hours in the Legislature of all States across the country.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Speakers of Jammu and Kashmir (Kavinder Gupta), Punjab, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, were part of the high level Committee of Speakers who met in New Delhi for two days and approved series of measures to further improve Question Hour and Zero Hour in the Legislature to help the legislators raise issues of public importance and fix minimum sittings for the Legislature.
“The Committee unanimously recommended that all the States must ensure that the Legislature meets for at least 60 days in a year if not 100 as prescribed by a previous Parliament Standing Committee. This will help the legislators to raise issues of public importance quite often and make the Government accountable,” sources said.
Apart from 60 sittings, the Speakers also deliberated upon the importance of Question Hour and Zero Hour in the Legislature and recommended ways and means to further improve them so that they were used to highlight issues of important nature. It suggested that in no case the Question and Zero Hours should be suspended as they not only helped the legislators to raise their issues but also make the Government accountable to address the problems especially those of urgent and important nature.
“Some of the State Assemblies were not even having Zero Hour while others including that of Jammu and Kashmir were having Zero Hour rarely. The Committee of the Speakers decided that Zero Hour, like the Question Hour, should be made mandatory on all days of the Legislature,” sources said.
The Committee was of the view that the Speakers should convince all political parties in the Legislature that in no case the Question and Zero Hours should be disrupted during the session and other issues should be taken up only after them.
The Committee would submit its report to Sumitra Mahajan, who will then circulate it to Speakers of all States of the country for implementation.
Sources admitted that recommendations could have significant impact in Jammu and Kashmir as the State holds only two sessions of the Legislature in a year having 35 sittings at the most. In 2014, the State had only 18 days budget session in Jammu and eight days Monsoon session in Srinagar having 26 sittings only. This year too, the Assembly had 17 days budget session so far.
In 2013, there was 26 days budget session and eight days Monsoon session totaling 34 sittings, which were the maximum in a year since 1996.
During previous Government, the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had announced on floor of the House that the Government would hold three sittings of the Legislature in a year to increase number of sittings. However, the assurance was not materialized into the reality.
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