Guwahati : The four-day autumn session of the Assam Legislative Assembly is set to start from August 31. The assembly will function with 50 percent of the MLAs at a given time to maintain social distancing norms.
Uncertainty cropped up regarding the functioning of the session after 18 people, including 12 employees, in the assembly complex tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month.
However, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) has decided to hold the autumn session for four days till September 3.
The BAC will ask the legislative leaders of all the parties to allot attendance slots to their MLAs to attend the session in rotation, Assam Legislative Assembly Principal Secretary Mrigendra Kumar Deka informed. “Our seating arrangements are such that two persons can sit together. Due to COVID-19, now only one MLA will sit in each desk,” Deka said.
The Assam assembly has a total strength of 126 MLAs. The assembly administration has decided not to allow any visitor during the session in order to decongest the premises during the four days, he added. “Likewise, there will be a minimum number of officials from different government departments. Our main thrust is to manage the Question Hour, during which the maximum gathering takes place,” Deka said.
The media passes will also be issued in a limited number of passes this time to report on the assembly proceedings.
It may be mentioned that from August 4, the assembly administration conducted COVID-19 tests of its all employees with the help of the Health department ahead of the session. Out of around 350 employees, 18 have tested positive and they were sent to different Covid Care Centres and hospitals in and around Guwahati.
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