UV disinfection, tech overhaul in House plan

NEWDELHI: Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation in the air-conditioning system to kill or inactivate microorganisms, 10 display screens for showing live proceedings, and special communication cables linking both Houses — Parliament officials are leaving nothing to chance when the monsoon session gets underway amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ministers, former PMS and floor leaders of political parties will get preference in the main chamber, and many party MPS — even from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — will be seated in the galleries, according to a plan prepared by Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, detailed in an officialnote. The same plan is likely to be used by the Lok Sabha too.

It is for the first time in the history of Parliament since 1952 that both chambers as well as the galleries of both Houses will be used to seat members. House authorities are pressing for a staggered shift of two Houses—with Lok Sabha starting in the morning and the Rajya Sabha in the afternoon as it will help in keeping the session short and MPS from outside Delhi will get to spend as little time in the Capital as possible. But some ministries prefer alternate days as it would be easier for them to cater to the demand of two Houses.

India’s top legislative authorities, Naidu and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, are keeping a close watch on the status of the pandemic in the Capital and elsewhere to finalise the dates for the session. Under the Constitution, the duration between the end of one session and the start of the next cannot exceed six months. So, Parliament has a window till September 23 to start the monsoon session, after the budget session ended on March 23, two days before a 68-day national lockdown kicked in, Hindustan Times reported on August 4.

MINISTERS, FORMER PMS AND FLOOR LEADERS OF PARTIES WILL GET PREFERENCE IN THE MAIN CHAMBER, AND MANY MPS WILL BE SEATED IN GALLERIES