Question Hour To Come Back In Delhi Assembly's Budget Session: Speaker

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Tuesday enlisted the reintroduction of Question Hour in the Budget session, making legislative business paper-free and developing the historic legislature as a national monument as his top priorities.

Addressing his maiden media conference, Speaker Gupta expressed anguish over the unruly action and disturbance to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena's address to the House, an action that forced him to suspend Opposition members.

“The LG's address is a solemn occasion and he was discharging his constitutional duties. The Rules of Procedure forbid such disturbances during the LG Address. The members were later suspended by the House for three sittings for disturbing the LG's address,” he said.

Speaker Gupta said that he was pained by the fact that Leader of Opposition Atishi and her AAP colleagues disturbed the proceedings when she was asked to speak on my election as the Speaker.

Reflecting on the just-concluded Assembly session, Speaker Gupta said,“The CAG's 'Performance Audit Report on Regulation and Supply of Liquor in Delhi' was laid on the Table of the House on February 25 by Chief Minister and it was discussed in the House for two days. A total of 23 members participated in this discussion.”

He said on February 28 the Chief Minister tabled the CAG's Report on Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services. The House discussed the Report on February 28 and March 3, 2025.

“The Public Accounts Committee shall examine these Reports. I have directed that the PAC shall submit its report within three months. The Excise and Health departments have been directed to send their action-taken reports within a month,” he said.

Sharing his priorities related to the functioning of the House, Speaker Gupta said,“Question Hour will be reintroduced in the March 24-26 Budget session -- a practice which had been almost done away with by the previous government. All the members will be given equal importance irrespective of party affiliations.”

“However, in case Rules are violated, strict action will be taken. Maximum utilisation of the floor time shall be my primary concern. The House shall run with cooperation, balance, goodwill and established Rules,” he said.

“The eVidhan project to make the Assembly paperless has been pending for nearly 10 years. I intend to take immediate steps to implement it and make the Delhi Assembly fully computerised,” said the Speaker.

He also shared his plans to attract tourists to the historic building of the Delhi Assembly.

“The Delhi Assembly building holds vast historic significance in our freedom struggle. We will consult experts in this matter and develop the Old Secretariat as a national monument and major tourist attraction,” he said.

MENAFN04032025000231011071ID1109274734