For the monsoon session of Parliament, to ensure that the members adhere to physical-distancing norms, an alternate plan is being mulled over, whereby members of both houses of Parliament will sit spread out in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha halls. One house will meet in the morning and the other in the afternoon, with enough time in between to sanitise both the halls.
This alternate plan was arrived at following a two-hour long meeting between Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Rajya Sabha chamber and its galleries can accommodate 127 members ensuring physical distancing, while the Lok Sabha chambers and its galleries can accommodate about 290 members, senior officials said.
Members of each of the two Houses, who cannot be accommodated in the chambers and galleries of the respective House, would be seated in the chamber and galleries of the other House. The two Presiding Officers, sources said, also deliberated upon the logistics for such an arrangement, including the necessary audio-visual connectivity with the other House, audio facilities for members seated in galleries, simultaneous interpretation, taking vote if required, enabling live telecast of proceedings of each House, and arrangements for mediapersons.
Published - July 20, 2020 10:36 pm IST
