Assembly Speaker N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has given two months' time to officials to furnish replies to the questions submitted by the legislators in the previous sessions or face breach of privilege.
At a meeting with Chief Secretary S.V. Prasad on Saturday, the Speaker is learnt to have expressed displeasure over the inordinate delay in furnishing replies to the questions submitted by the MLAs in the second, third and fourth sessions. As many as 446 questions were submitted, but the replies were not forwarded to the Assembly.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Speaker N. Manohar, Special Chief Secretary Prabhakar D. Thomas and Principal Secretary (Political) R.M. Gonela.
He is said to have pointed out that answers to 237 starred, 109 unstarred and 100 short notice questions were not submitted. The pendency was from the health, medical and family welfare, irrigation, transport, roads and buildings, school education, revenue and municipal administration departments.
As regards zero hour mention, the pendency was 281 and the government assurances' pendency stood at 2,495 of which replies were not received for 1,573 assurances.
The Speaker is said to have remarked that the Assembly was the reflection of people's problems highlighted by the public representatives. He said delay in clearing the pending questions would be treated as breach of privilege against secretary, principal secretary and heads of departments.
The meeting also discussed about the complaints about protocol not being followed. The Speaker directed officials to re-circulate to the ground level officers a copy of the GO Ms. No 741.
