Date:06/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/06/stories/2008040652200300.htm

New Delhi

Legislators should behave properly in Assembly: Delhi Speaker

Staff Reporter

Warns there are provisions for punishment for “indecorous behaviour”

NEW DELHI: Delhi Assembly Speaker Chaudhury Prem Singh warned the MLAs on Saturday that there are provisions for rigorous punishment if they do not behave in a proper manner.

Referring to “indecorous behaviour” of some of the members during the address of the Lieutenant-Governor on March 17 and to the adjournment of the House on April 1 for lack of a quorum, the Speaker said the House was supreme and there was a provision for punishment for members who do not respect the dignity of the House. “I have never seen such state of affairs in my entire political life,” said Mr. Singh.

Talking to media persons, the Speaker added that the MLAs were elected representatives of the people and therefore the people expected them to raise in the House issues which affect them as well as maintain the dignity and discipline of the House.

During the Delhi Assembly session which began on March 17 and ended on April 4, the House passed the Delhi Budget for 2008-09. The Budget was debated in the House for three days before being passed on March 27. A total of 11 members took part in the discussion.

The session also saw 64 of the 260 starred questions listed for answering in the House being taken up with 249 supplementary questions.

Discussions

Short duration discussions were held on April 2 and 3 on issues of power crisis and problem arising out of privatisation of power in Delhi and problems relating to unauthorised colonies. These discussions took up nearly five hours of the House and 16 members participated in them.

Three private members’ resolutions were also taken up during the session.

While two were withdrawn with the permission of the House after discussion, one was rejected by the House after discussion.

The House also passed the Delhi Defacement of Property Prevention Bill, 2007, and the IIIT-Delhi Bill, 2007.

Further, 11 reports of various House Committees were presented in the House which is an all-time record for the Assembly since its inception in 1993, said the Speaker.