Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 25: Autumn session of the Legislature will start on September 28 in summer capital of the State at Srinagar and was likely to have nine-odd sittings lasting till October 9 or 10.
A decision to this effect has been taken by the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry in consultations with Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta and Legislative Council Chairman Haji Inayat Ali.
Gupta told the Excelsior that the Assembly session was likely to start on September 28 and will have about nine sittings. The session could last till October 9 or 10.
“A proposal under rules will be forwarded shortly to Governor NN Vohra for issuance of formal notification summoning both Houses of the Legislature to meet separately on September 28. The first day is reserved for obituary reference of the members/former members of the two Houses, Parliament and other prominent personalities, who passed away during the period between last session and upcoming session,” Gupta said.
This will be the second Legislature session of the PDP-BJP coalition Government, which had taken over reign of affairs on March 1. Immediately after take over, the Government decided to go for full budget session. The session had lasted from March 18 to April 9. As per the Constitutional requirement, the Legislature had to be convened before October 9 as the two Houses must meet once in the six months.
Official sources said the autumn session will be as brief as it used to be during the tenure of previous National Conference-Congress Government i.e. the session would have nine-odd sittings, one less or one more. The calendar of the session (the exact number of sittings) is finalized by the Speaker once the Governor issued date of notification of convening the session on request of the State Cabinet.
“The sittings are finalized taking into account the Government and other business pending before the Legislature,” sources said, adding that since there was not much business pending, the Government has opted for small session like the previous Governments had been doing.
This will, however, be the first session of the PDP-BJP Government in the summer capital of Srinagar as budget session of the new Government was held in Jammu, the winter capital.
“Once the Governor sets the process in motion for convening the session, the Legislative Assembly Secretariat will ask the MLAs to send 10 questions (five each in starred and un-starred categories) apart from private member’s bills and resolutions (two each),” sources said.
While starred questions are debated during the Question Hour in the Assembly, the MLAs get only written replies to the un-starred questions from the concerned Ministries.
Similarly, according to sources, number of sittings in Upper House of the Legislature (the Legislative Council), were also expected to be the same around nine as business in both the Houses will almost be the same. However, the Assembly Speaker and the Council Chairman issue separate calendars for the sessions depending upon the business listed before the Houses.
The autumn session of the Legislature will be second major test of the PDP-BJP Government including their coordination after 18-day long budget session held in Jammu. The NC and Congress had jointly targeted the newly formed Alliance Government during the budget session and similar could be the strategy of the two parties in the upcoming autumn session.
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