BENGALURU: The State Government on Monday decided to hold the legislature session from September 21 for 10 days at the Assembly Hall of the Vidhana Soudha by taking adequate precautionary measures and making changes in the seating arrangements.
Doors and windows of the Assembly Hall will be kept open during the session, while glass shields will be placed between chairs. All members have to wear a face mask and a face shield. Earlier, the idea of conducting the session outside the Vidhana Soudha was considered in view of Covid-19.
On Monday, Speaker Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy and Chief Secretary T M Vijaya Bhaskar inspected the Assembly Hall. Speaking to TNIE, Madhuswamy said they decided to conduct the session at the Vidhana Soudha as before. “But there will be many internal changes. We will put transparent fibre sheets between the seats of members,” he said.
All 270 seats to have mikes: Minister
“Both Assembly and Council halls will have this seating arrangement. All MLAs and MLCs will be given instruction to wear a face shield and face mask, which is mandatory, before entering the hall. A sanitizer bottle will be kept in front of each seat,’’ Law Minister J C Madhuswamy said.
There are 270 seats in the assembly hall, of which only 224 have mikes. “We will fix mikes at all the 270 seats,’’ he said. This time the public gallery will be closed. Arrangements are being made for the media, he said. On the officers’ gallery, the minister said only IAS officers of the rank of Principal Secretary and above will be allowed. No junior officials will be called this time. This apart, the canteen at the assembly lobby will be shifted outside near the entrance. In March, the session was cut short due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.