Birla requests MPS to get tested before Parl session
LS speaker says House must function and infection must not spread
NEW DELHI: Taking no chances against the coronavirus disease that has infected around 3.5 million people across India, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced on Friday all MPS would be requested to undergo an RT-PCR ( Reverse transcription-polymerase Chain Reaction) test for Covid-19 as part of a raft of health and safety measures to conduct the monsoon session of Parliament amid the pandemic.
The session will start on September 14 and run till October 1. Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha are all set to operate in daily shifts with the Lower House starting at 9 am and the Upper House at 3pm. A senior official added that the proceedings may even continue on the weekends if the agenda requires additional time.
The RT-PCR test, considered the gold-standard for coronavirus testing, will not be made mandatory for now, said a second senior official on condition of anonymity.
On Friday, Birla held a meeting with officials from the Union health ministry, Indian Council of Medical Research, Defence Research and Development Organisation and Delhi government to decide health safety protocols for the session that was shifted from its usual July schedule to a later date.
This is the first time since 1952 that a Parliament session will meet amid a health emergency of such magnitude requiring massive preparation and several restrictive measures.
“Parliament must function and infection must not spread,” Birla announced, as he laid down several key steps including a ban on the entry of visitors and a reduction in the number of officials during the session. “Along with this, there is a proposal to restrict the number of media persons, both from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Covid [RT-PCR] test will be mandatory for all media persons,” a communique said.
While the Houses will have ultraviolet germicidal irradiation of the air-conditioning system, 10 display screens for live proceedings, placards to indicate names of parties, earmarked seats for top leaders and special cables linking the two Houses, thermal guns and thermal scanner cameras will be used for measurement of temperature.
For the first time, MPS of two Houses would be seated in both Houses, occupying the chambers as well as the galleries to ensure strict social distancing.
Measures for sanitisation include touchless sanitizers at 40 places, an emergency medical teams and ambulances . All guidelines related to Covid-19 prevention will be strictly followed, said the secretariat.
The Parliament complex will also have health check-up facilities.
Birla said testing facility for officers and staff of Parliament will also be in place. “The staff may be reduced, if required. The facilities for testing of officials of ministries and personal staff of members will also be in place,” said a press release. Members will be allowed to address the Chair while seated, so that the risk of infection is minimised.
A number of state assemblies have already conducted truncated sessions. Uttar Pradesh and Punjab made RT-PCR tests mandatory while Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh did not. Bihar conducted rapid antigen tests while Haryana asked MLAS to produce Covid -19 negative report not older than three days.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh has recommended a total of 18 sittings, which would be primarily used to clear 11 ordinances. The government is also bracing for a demand from Opposition parties to debate the India-china standoff at the Line of Actual Control, the spread of the virus, the state of the economy, the problems of migrant workers and the recent allegations against social media company Facebook.
On Friday, Congress floor leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, wrote to Birla, asking him not to curtail Question Hour and Zero Hour. Question Hour is usually the first hour of business in the House, when members can ask questions after having given notice 10 days earlier. Zero Hour follows Question Hour and is a more informal session where members can raise questions of public importance.
“You will kindly appreciate the fact that raising questions in Parliament, and issues of public importance during the Zero Hour are foremost of the procedural methods available to Members to vent issues of national and public interest,” Chowdhury wrote.
“Curtailing the Question Hour and the Zero Hour by way of restricting the number of issues that could be raised and time earmarked would, therefore, not be in the interest of elected representatives,” Chowdhury added.