Vidhan Bhavan will have COVID-19 safety protocol, advance testing, safety kits for legislators
Legislators, officials and those assigned jobs in the Vidhan Bhavan premises will have to undergo RT-PCR tests a day before the monsoon session begins. Pics/Suresh Karkera
The state legislature will have its monsoon session on September 7 and 8 in adherence with the COVID-19 safety protocol. To ensure physical distancing, the sitting arrangement will be changed. The legislators will be seated in the lower (289 members) and upper (78 members) houses and their respective visitors' and students' galleries.
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Measures to be taken
To prevent a possibility of mass infection, the legislators, officials and those assigned jobs in the Vidhan Bhavan premises will have to undergo RT-PCR(real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests a day before the session begins. The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) which met on Tuesday also decided that the legislators will be given safety kits. The legislators' personal staff will not be allowed to enter the house lobby and be seated in a separate enclosure. The drivers will have an independent facility for sitting and refreshments.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Dy CM Ajit Pawar at the Vidhan Bhavan during the Budget session
A CMO statement said that the group leaders have been asked to ensure that their respective party colleagues, who suffer from ailments that compound the infection, take utmost care.
The session, to be held from June 22, as decided by the budget session, was deferred twice due to the pandemic. The budget session was also curtailed when the sudden outbreak was noticed in the month of March. Online option was considered by BAC, but since the unlocking process has begun, the government has decided to invite the legislators to Mumbai and ensure their safety. Some states like Chhattisgarh and Haryana have convened their monsoon sessions from Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The Parliament's monsoon session is also expected to take place soon.
Work to be done
The session needs to be conducted without any further delay to seek legislative approval for the expenditure and certain Cabinet decisions that were converted into new bills or amendments to the existing laws since April this year. According to information available, the session will have on its agenda the question hours and supplementary (financial) demands. The pandemic has changed the country's economy impacting the finances of Maharashtra which collects highest direct and indirect revenue for itself and the Centre.
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