Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 13: Former Minister and chairman of National Panthers Party (NPP) Harshdev Singh (MLA) has lambasted the State Government for curtailing the duration of Srinagar Assembly Session by fixing only seven days calendar for the conduct of legislative business.
In a press statement issued here today, Mr Singh alleged that by shortening the duration of Assembly session to just seven sittings, the State Government had merely tried to fulfill a constitutional formality. He said that discussions on the issues of public importance appeared to be the least concern of the coalition Government which had merely tried to comply with the mandate of Section 53 of the State Constitution which provided that six months shall not intervene between the last sitting of one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session. He pointed out that the said session was summoned because a gap of six months between the two sessions would have amounted to constitutional violation and resulted in constitutional crisis.
While reminding the State Government of the broad consensus achieved at a meeting of presiding officers of various legislatures at national level, Mr Singh said that it was agreed that legislatures should sit for at least 100 days in one calendar year. He regretted that J&K provided the most glaring example of dishonor of the said decisions as the legislature sittings in one calendar year didn’t exceed 30-35 days. He said that not only was the decision at the nation level disregarded but also commitments of the Chief Minister made on the floor of the house were dishonoured. Singh said leave aside three sessions as claimed by CM earlier, even the two are being cut short.
Urging upon the Coalition Government to review the decision, Harshdev sought at least 20 day session in Srinagar. He also sought the intervention of State Governor in this connection.
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