Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 9: Jammu and Kashmir will have full budget session of the Legislature lasting 30 to 35 days starting May end in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State. This will be for the first time since 1996 when the Legislature was revived after six years long President’s rule in the State due to militancy that no Assembly session will be held in Jammu during six months of the capital, which starts from first week of October and lasts till April end.
This will also be for the first time during past seven years that budget session of the Legislature will be held in Srinagar. It had happened last time in 2009.
Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta told the Excelsior that a decision to hold budget session of the Legislature in Srinagar from the end of May has been taken keeping in view very short duration of the Civil Secretariat, the seat of the Government left here after revival of PDP-BJP coalition Government on April 4 as well as the Assembly, which had been revived after being kept under suspended animation for about 86 days due to imposition of Governor’s rule in the State due to death of then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Gupta said at least 15 days notice was required to call the Assembly session here after which only few days would have been left as the Civil Secretariat including the Assembly Secretariat will close on April 29. The advance parties of the ‘Durbar Move’ even start leaving a week before closure of the Secretariat.
“There would have been no time left even to hold small session of the Legislature here,” he said, adding “in view of this, a decision has been taken to hold full-fledged budget session after shifting of the Durbar to Srinagar by May end”. The Durbar Move offices will re-open in Srinagar on May 9.
Though a final date for start of the Legislature session will be decided by the Cabinet on the proposal mooted by the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, it has been decided by the Government, in principle, that budget session would start by May end and last about 30 to 35 days. It will conclude by June end, few days ahead of the start of annual Shri Amarnath ji pilgrimage in South Kashmir Himalayas on July 2.
The State Government had to get Legislature nod for its full budget on or before June 30 as Governor NN Vohra during Governor’s rule in the State had taken Vote-on-Account for a period of first three months of current financial year of 2016-17 i.e. from April 1 to June 30. The Government had to pass the budget before the June 30 deadline to avert any kind of financial crisis.
With possibility of even a small Assembly session in Jammu ruled out due to shifting of the Civil Secretariat, this will be for the first time since 1996 after popular Government and Legislature were revived following prolonged spell of six months President’s Rule that no session will be held during six months of winter capital in Jammu.
The Government had finalized budget session of the Legislature in Jammu from January 18 this year. All arrangements had been made for the session with Governor’s Address proposed on January 18 and general budget for 2016-17 on January 22 but with the death of then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7 and a decision by Mehbooba Mufti to defer formation of the Government had resulted into imposition of Governor’s Rule in the State from January 8 and keeping the Assembly under suspended animation.
The budget session was later cancelled and questions, private member’s bills and private member’s resolutions submitted by the MLAs were declared as null and void. Now, entire business of the previous Assembly stood cancelled in view of formation of new Government in the State under the Chief Ministership of Mehbooba Mufti on April 4.
This was for the first time during past seven years that budget session of the Legislature will be held in Srinagar. The last time, it was held in 2009, the first year of Omar Abdullah led NC-Congress coalition Government, which had taken Vote-on-Account for six months in Jammu in the month of March after the Government was formed on January 5, 2009 and passed full budget in August in Srinagar.
Sources said no session could be held in Jammu this winter due to sudden death of Mufti Sayeed followed by about three months long spell of Governor’s rule in the State. Though the popular Government was revived on April 4, very little time was then left for holding the session.
Last year, the PDP-BJP Government headed by Mufti Sayeed was formed on March 1, 2015 and the Assembly session had started on March 18 and continued till April 9. The budget was passed well before March 31.
Sources pointed out that last year, the budget session was possible in the State as the Government was formed on March 1 and a little less than two months were available with the Government before shifting of the Durbar to Srinagar.
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