Guwahati: The four-day autumn session of the Assam Legislative Assembly will take place from August 31 with 50 per cent presence of the MLAs at a given time to maintain social distancing norms, a senior official said on Wednesday.
There was an uncertainty in holding the session after 18 persons, including 12 employees, in the assembly complex tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. “In its meeting yesterday, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) decided to hold the autumn session for four days till September 3. “They also decided that at any given time, there will only be 50 per cent MLAs inside the House,” Assam legislative assembly Principal Secretary Mrigendra Kumar Deka told PTI. The BAC will ask the legislative leaders of all the parties to allot attendance slots to their MLAs to attend the session in rotation, he added.
“Our seating arrangements are such that two persons can sit together. Due to COVID-19, now only one MLA will sit in each desk,” Deka said. The Assam assembly has a total strength of 126 MLAs. The assembly administration has decided not to allow any visitor during the session in order to decongest the premises during the four days, he added.
“Likewise, there will be a minimum number of officials from different government departments. Our main thrust is to manage the Question Hour, during which the maximum gathering takes place,” Deka said.
The media passes will also be issued in a limited number this time, he added.
When asked about the main businesses of the session, Deka said supplementary grants will be passed and a few bills will be presented. From August 4, the assembly administration conducted COVID-19 testing of its all employees with the help of the Health department ahead of the session. Deka said that out of around 350 employees, 18 have tested positive and they were sent to different Covid Care Centres and hospitals in and around Guwahati. PTI
