Shillong, Sept 15: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) moved an amendment motion to seek extension of the sitting of the current Autumn session of the Assembly which began on Friday.
Moving the amendment motion, VPP MLA, Adelbert Nongrum said that he was very unhappy with the allocation of time for the sitting of this current session of the Assembly.
According to him, the allocation of five working days is too short, especially when the government convened the assembly session only two timea a year.
He said that the allocation of only two days to a private member’s business is not enough when there are so many pressing issues concerning the State.
Citing on the few important issues which are afflicting the state, the VPP MLA said that the ranking of the state as per national index on poverty and education is the lowest in the entire country.
Nongrum further stated that some of the pressing issues which is faced by the State include the problem of drugs menace, concern of student on the NEP, cry of all educated youth who are not gainfully employed, loopholes in methodology for state quarter seats of MBBS, disruption of environmental public hearing for expansion of East Jaintia Hills, high handedness of police and public protests ,continuing imbroglio on Them Metor issue and the question of funding for Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival.
“We have very limited time to speak on these important issues which affect the common people with the State in just five days of house sitting. Why such an attempt to restrict the length of a session? What is the underlying agenda? A short assembly session is nothing less than a murder of democracy,” he said.
He said that the report on that allocation of time for this current should be referred back to the Business Advisory Committee for consideration on the concern or recommendation raised by participating members in this discussion.
While suggesting that the allocation of time for private member’s business should be extended as many days as government business, he also said that the calendar for private member’s business should not be held on a Friday where the house sitting concludes at 12 Noon.
VPP MLA from Nongkrem, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit who took part in support of the amendment motion said that what they were made to understand that the sitting of the session was fixed only five days since government doesn’t have much business,
“However, as members of the opposition, we know that this is too short a time for us to raise many important issues concerning the state and its people. Over and above most of the members belonging to the treasury bench are also actively participated in the assembly proceedings. So, it is very difficult for the members from the opposition side to find the space to raise many important issues,” he said.
The VPP MLA from Nongkrem said that there are 60 starred questions which has been for the session to be held on Septembe 19.
“Personally, I’ve submitted 20 questions to be discussed in this house, which are very important issues for the people of the state. But I know that I’ll be able to get only one out of the 60 and the rest we will not even get to discuss. So what I feel is that it would be in the best interest of the people that the house is sitting more days and the timing is increase, so that we can dispose on some of the important issues. We would should to disposed either 70 to 80 percent of the business listed for the current session,” he said.
According to him, there are many issues which as an opposition they have received request from the people.
“May be the members belonging to the treasury bench are not getting that much of requests from the public since there are problems everywhere. As the opposition were expected to criticized the government constructively with the expectation that the government will take serious note of those criticism to take the step forward,” the VP MLA from Nongkrem said.
In his reply to the amendment motion, Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Parliamentary Affairs Prestone Tynsong asked the opposition political parties to have some kind of coordination while raising issues to avoid overlapping and unnecessary wasting of time.
“I would request the members from the opposition to sit together and decide on the issues which they are planning to raise during the current session. We have seen be it questions, motions, zero hour notice etc, the issues are overlapping and the same subject members are submitting and replying (to the same subject) will lead to unnecessary wasting of time,” Tynsong said
“So if they (opposition) have this kind of discussion, nothing like it. They can submit (the issues) where your office can regulate (the time accordingly),” he said while requesting the Speaker to approve the allocation of time proposed by the BAC