BENGALURU: “The ongoing Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sessions will not be cancelled or curtailed because of the coronavirus scare as all precautionary measures have been taken. However, the number of general visitors to the Parliament complex has been restricted,” said Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, here on Saturday.
At Vidhana Soudha, too, where the Assembly sessions are on, procedures similar to the ones taken in the Parliament, will be followed. The budget session of the Parliament, which began on January 31, will continue and will end on April 3 as per schedule, Joshi said, adding, “We have instructed the staffers to sanitise the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha premises. They scrub the tables, chairs and door handles twice every day. Also, we have placed hand sanitisers at several places for members and officials to use. One need not panic.”
Joshi claimed that India is far ahead of other countries in taking preventive measures to counter the dreaded coronavirus. “When the first case broke out in December 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi constituted a committee to look into it and we are taking many measures,” he said.
At Parliament, chairs of both Houses have restricted the entry of general visitors. “Their numbers have come down drastically. This is also a part of our precautionary measure,’’ he said. Asked if similar steps can be taken at Vidhana Soudha where the sessions are on, he said officials and others have taken effective steps. But, it is better to limit the number of general visitors, he advised.
Speaker Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri said it is a good suggestion. “I will discuss it with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and other stakeholders. We should restrict general public,” he said. Asked if the duration of the Assembly session would be reduced, he said that no such proposal had been made. “We will see if any such demand is made in the coming days. As of today (Saturday), the session will be held till March 31 as per schedule,’’ he said.