7 members from Alliance, 2 BJP; none from PDP
Budget session to be held in old complex
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 24: New draft Business Rules for the Legislative Assembly will be in place before budget session of the Legislature with Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather framing a nine-member Committee headed by him excluding any member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
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The nine-member Committee with Rather as ex-officio Chairman comprised seven members from NC-led Alliance including four from NC, one each from Congress and CPM and one Alliance supporter Independent besides two from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition in the UT.
Rather told the Excelsior that the Committee will meet regularly and try to come out with Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Legislative Assembly before commencement of budget session of the Legislature.
‘‘No date for commencement of the budget session has been finalized so far. The date is to be announced by the Government after which we have to issue the calendar. However, the budget session will be held in Jammu. Since construction of new building will take time, the Assembly will meet in the old complex,’’ he said.
Rather said most of the members of the Committee are law knowing persons.
As per Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019, the Legislative Assembly can hold the session as per existing Business Rules till new Rules are framed by the House. First session of the Assembly from November 4-8 was held in Srinagar as per the Rules in place.
The Panel to frame the new Rules has been set up under Rule 363 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly by the Speaker
The members include Mubarak Gul (former Speaker), Saifullah Mir (ex Minister), Hasnain Masoodi (former MP and retired High Court Judge), all from National Conference, Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami (CPM), Nizam-ud-Din Bhat (Congress), Muzaffar Iqbal Khan (Retired Judge and Independent MLA who has extended support to the NC); and Pawan Gupta (former Minister) and Ranbir Singh Pathania, both from the Opposition BJP. The Speaker will be ex-officio Chairman of the Committee.
The PDP which has three MLAs from Kashmir has not been given representation in the Committee. Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid’s AIP also has one MLA from Kashmir but he too hasn’t been included in the Committee.
The committee shall finalize the draft Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly prior to the commencement of the ensuing budget session, an official notification said.
The draft Business Rules will be placed before the Legislative Assembly.
All eight members of the Committee have been informed about their inclusion in the high-level Committee headed by the Legislative Assembly Speaker for framing ‘Business Rules’ for the House which were necessitated after erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was divested of its special status under Article 370 and was divided into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 was passed on August 5, 2019 by the Parliament in which among other subjects the Legislative Assembly was allowed to function on existing Rules till new ‘Business Rules’ are framed for running the House after the State was converted into the UT.
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