The proposed four-day Budget session of Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha at Gairsain is eliciting objections from various quarters. Joining the league of those opining that the important session should get extended; the speaker Prem Chand Agarwal said on Monday that he would discuss the issue with the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
The speaker told the media persons at his residence that it is the government’s prerogative to decide on the place and the duration of the sessions of the Vidhan Sabha. He however added that he shares the concern about short duration of the budget session this time and added that he would hold talk with the CM on the subject.
Expressing concern over less sittings of Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha, the speaker said that reducing the gap between two sessions of Vidhan Sabha would result in increasing the total sittings. On Monday, the deputy leader of the Congress legislature party, Karan Mahra met the speaker and apprised him about his concern on the short duration of the budget session of the assembly.
Later, talking to The Pioneer, Mahra said that organising a session of only four days is very unfortunate. He said that on first day, only the address of the governor is scheduled and for budget presentation and department wise discussion the time allotted for the session is very less.
Giving the example of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh (UP) where budget session would last for more than a month, the Congress leader said that the Uttarakhand Government is not serious about its parliamentary obligations.
Mahra also claimed that in Vidhan Sabha never starts on Monday and Tuesday due to which the departments headed by chief minister never come up for discussions. It is convention that questions concerned with the chief minister are listed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The budget session this time is slated to start on Tuesday (March 3) but since the governor addresses the house on day one, this time also the questions related to the departments headed by CM are not expected to come up. The budget session of Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha would commence on March 3 and the session would be held at Gairsain.