The six-day Winter Session of the 14th Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha will begin at Tapovan, near Dharamsala, on Monday, with the Assembly Secretariat receiving 414 notices of questions from legislators, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference at the Vidhan Sabha complex in Tapovan, Pathania said the session would comprise six sittings. Of the 414 questions received, 291 are starred questions, requiring oral replies from the government in the House, while 123 are unstarred questions, for which written replies will be provided to the respective legislators.
The questions have been forwarded to the government and the Secretariat will list them as and when the replies are received.
The first sitting will begin with obituary references, followed by Question Hour, the Speaker said. Private Members’ Day has been scheduled for November 19, when legislators will have the opportunity to raise issues through resolutions under Rule 101, seeking policy interventions or changes in existing government policies and procedures.
The Secretariat has received three notices under this provision, with the Business Advisory Committee to decide the time allocation for their discussion.
The Secretariat has also received around 13 notices under Rule 62, three under Rule 63 and nine under Rule 130, Pathania said.
He added that the Secretariat would continue to receive notices on matters of public interest throughout the session. Legislators could also seek permission to raise emerging issues they considered serious and important. Such requests would be examined on the basis of their merit and relevance before being admitted in the House.
“Any issue of public interest that a member considers serious and important can be brought to the notice of the House. Such matters will be examined on merit and relevance,” the Speaker said.
Highlighting the Assembly’s digital functioning, Pathania said all questions and notices had been submitted online through the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA). Himachal Pradesh, which had earlier pioneered the e-Vidhan system, had now shifted to the national platform.
Meanwhile, the Assembly Secretariat is working on a plan to ensure greater utilisation of the Tapovan Vidhan Sabha complex beyond the six days of the Winter Session.
Pathania said that after opening the complex to tourists, the next step would be to develop a convention centre and a hotel on around seven acres of land identified by the district administration adjacent to the complex.
The proposed hotel would accommodate legislators during Assembly sessions, while the convention centre and hotel would operate on an Operation and Maintenance (O&M) basis during the rest of the year. The initiative is aimed at ensuring that the facilities remain operational throughout the year, generating revenue and activity instead of remaining underutilised for most of the year.
Tapovan under strict drone, CCTV vigil
Elaborate security arrangements, including CCTV cameras and drone surveillance, will be put in place at the Tapovan Assembly complex in Dharamsala during the six-day Winter Session.
Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Sunday reviewed the security and administrative arrangements with Kangra district officials and directed them to ensure foolproof security throughout the session. He said the arrangements would be as stringent as in previous sessions, with the police responsible for maintaining law and order, traffic regulation and security across the complex.
The district administration has also been directed to ensure accommodation for legislators, their staff and personal security officers, besides Assembly Secretariat employees, senior government officials and journalists arriving from Shimla.
Parking within the Assembly premises will be restricted to ministers, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, MLAs, the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and administrative secretaries.
Visitors wishing to attend Assembly proceedings will be issued gallery passes, subject to availability. Mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices will be strictly prohibited inside the Assembly building. Government employees and other pass holders will be required to prominently display their identity cards, which will be non-transferable.
An ambulance, along with a doctor and paramedical staff, will remain stationed at the complex to deal with medical emergencies.
