Shimla, August 19: The 12th session of the 14th Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly will be held from August 21 to September 3, with a total of 10 sittings scheduled during the monsoon session.
Addressing a press conference at the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretariat on Wednesday, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said the session would commence at 11 am on August 21. The House will pay tributes to former MLAs late Vijendra Singh and Ram Chand Bhatia on the opening day.
Pathania said August 27 has been earmarked as the non-official members’ working day.
The Speaker said that 1,036 question notices have been received from members for the session, including 787 starred and 249 unstarred questions. The notices have been forwarded to the government for further action as per the rules.
The deadline for submission of question notices by members ended at 5 pm on August 18. In addition, several notices and information received from members under various Assembly rules have also been sent to the government for necessary action.
The issues raised through the questions include central assistance for disaster management, the recent heavy rains and natural calamities in the state, flood-related damage, school mergers, construction of roads and bridges, approved road projects and DPRs, upgradation of colleges, schools and health institutions, and filling vacant posts in government departments.
Other major issues include tourism development, parks, drinking water supply, measures to curb drug abuse among youth, rising criminal cases and the transport system. Members have also raised several important constituency-specific issues.
To ensure the smooth functioning of the House, Pathania said he has convened a meeting of key leaders from both sides on Thursday at 4.30 pm.
The meeting will be attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harsh Vardhan Chauhan, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, Deputy Chief Whip of the state government Kewal Singh Pathania and BJP Legislature Party Chief Whip Sukh Ram Chaudhary.
Appealing to both the ruling party and the Opposition, the Speaker sought constructive cooperation for the smooth conduct of proceedings.
“I would request both sides to cooperate constructively so that the time of the House is properly utilised for issues of public interest and meaningful discussions,” Pathania said.
