Vidhan Sabha to have committee system

With this, Himachal has taken a lead over other states in the North. States like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Kerala and Karnataka have already adopted the system. This system is already in practice in Parliament.

Releasing the calendar for the session, the Speaker said the annual budget will be introduced in the House on July 3 by Dhumal, who also holds the finance portfolio. The House adjourns on July 11 for a week-long recess. "It is this crucial time when the actual scrutiny of the budget will be taken up by the standing committees for respective departments," the Speaker said.

Though adopted in 1994, the committee system was never made applicable. The relevant rules pertaining to introduction of the system were suspended subsequently and the system remained only in the rule books. Since the BJP had always opposed suspension of the rules and even staged walkouts, Dhumal took the initiative to make the new system effective from the first budget session of his government.

The Speaker said that after the presentation of the budget in the House, there would be a general discussion after which the budget proposals (demands for grants) would go to the seven standing committees for scrutiny."All these committees will submit their reports immediately on re-convening of the House from July 20," he said. The budget session will continue till July 31 and will have 18 sittings. It may be recalled that the BJP-HVC coalition had earlier obtained a vote-on-account for four months. Referring to the controversy over the grant of status of Leader of Opposition, the Speaker said that as per rules, the Congress had already been declared the opposition party and the leader of the Congress Legislature Party will automatically become the Leader of the Opposition. "It is the prerogative of the Chief Minister and the government to grant other facilities," he said.

The Speaker declined to comment on the petition filed by the Congress seeking his (Speaker’s) disqualification and another against two HVC MLAs who had split the party and joined the BJP. He made it clear that any comment, written or verbal, would attract the provisions of breach of privilege. He said follow-up action on the petitions was on under the rules and procedure of the House.