BHUBANESWAR: The Monsoon session of the State Assembly, which commences on September 29, will meet for around four and half hour daily, Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro said on Friday.
Holding an all-party meeting on conduct of the House here on Friday, Patro said Covid-19 tests of MLAs will be conducted from Saturday for three days. Only those who test negative will be allowed to attend the session.
There will be no Question Hour during the entire session. Seating arrangements will be made for the MLAs in the Assembly hall, visitors gallery, distinguished visitors gallery and Speaker’s gallery by following social distancing norms. The Speaker said the first day of the Monsoon session will begin at 11 am and continue till 5 pm.
“There will be a four-hour sitting from 11 am to 1 pm and again from 3 pm to 5 pm on the first day,” he said and added that thereafter the Assembly will begin at 10.30 am and continue till 5 pm with lunch recess of two hours every day.
The Speaker said that 12 ordinances which were cleared by the State Cabinet will be tabled during the session for discussion. Senior members, who are unable to attend the session, can do so from the district headquarters or their own office, where video-conferencing facility is available. “They have to inform beforehand about it in writing,” he said.
Besides, video conference system has also been installed at the residential office of the Chief Minister, offices of ministers, leader of Opposition and district collectors besides office of the Odisha Computer Application Centre.
The House will be adjourned for an hour after obituary references on the first day for former President late Pranab Mukherjee, former MLAs Bishnu Das, Madan Mohan Dutta and police personnel on September 29. The Speaker said no papers and reports will be distributed among the members in the House except those of urgent nature including the amendments to the Bills and reply of a minister.
The Assembly hall and premises will be sanitised everyday by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). Corona preventive kits will be supplied to all members, media, officers and staff by Health Department. Besides, there will be corona test of all police personnel to be engaged during the session.
However, leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narsingh Mishra described the decision to suspend the Question Hour as undemocratic and unconstitutional.