The four-day monsoon session of the Bihar legislature is likely to be a four-hour affair on a single day on August 3 at Patna’s Gyan Bhawan of the Samrat Ashok International Convention Centre due to surging positive cases of COVID-19 .
A meeting of legislative party leaders on August 1 agreed to transact all important legislative businesses of four-days on a single day on August 3 and wind up the session due to the pandemic.
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However, the final decision on this, Assembly officials said, would be taken in the House after a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee.
“Only the House is empowered to make any changes in the schedule of the business approved by the Governor,” said an official.
Earlier, Governor Phagu Chouhan had convened the four-day monsoon session of the Legislature from August 3.
It is now likely that all legislative work of the House would be completed in the first half of the session and the debate would take place in the second half for two hours.
10 ordinances, two bills
A total of 10 ordinances and two bills are to be laid on the table of the House on July 3.
It is for the first time that the session of the Bihar legislature is going to be held outside the Assembly premises due to the spurt in COVID-19 cases.
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Earlier, Speaker Vijay Choudhary had written to the Bihar government that following the social distancing norm it would not be possible to hold the monsoon session in the central hall of the Assembly premises.
The Assembly has a total strength of 243 members.
Later, the Bihar government selected the Gyan Bhawan for the purpose.
Inaugurated in 2017, it has enough space along with open and exit points to accommodate legislators while following social distancing norms.
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“The Assembly session will be held in the conference hall on the second floor which has a seating capacity of 800 people, while the legislative council session will be held in the meeting hall on the first floor of the Gyan Bhawan,” said Mr. Choudhary.
In March this year, the Budget session came to an end before schedule because of the outbreak of the pandemic.
The district administration, meanwhile, has made all security arrangement at the Gyan Bhawan, located north of the Gandhi Maidan.