Stormy budget session on cards
Hyderabad: The upcoming sittings of the Telangana Legislature are likely to be stormy as the budget session will kick off on Monday with the new Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla delivering his maiden address to a joint sitting in the Assembly.
The Legislative session will start at 11:45 am with the Governor’s address to the joint session of members of the Council and the Assembly. This will be the maiden speech of Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, who took charge on March 11. He succeeded Jishnu Dev Varma, who has been made Governor of Maharashtra.
According to sources, the Budget session is likely to held for about two weeks. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will be unveiling the Telangana Thalli statue on the premises of the Assembly.
This time the Assembly and Council sessions will be held on the same premises. The state government recently renovated the Old Council building, which was subsequently inaugurated by the Chief Minister. This would help Ministers to move between the two Houses without moving out of the premises. Earlier, the Council sessions used to be held in the Jubilee Hall at Public Gardens and Ministers used to move in vehicles to take part in the business there.]
There will be discussion on the Governor’s Address, and the Budget will be presented by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on March 20 (tentatively, depending on determination of Eid-ul-Fitr). There will be a discussion on the Budget and later on the demands for grants.
The Legislative Assembly is likely to discuss various issues like Musi Rejuvenation, gig workers’ policy, new education policy, water disputes etc. The issue concerning Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s turncoat MLAs is also likely to raise a storm in the House as the Speaker has given a clean chit to all the 10 MLAs.
Council Chairman G Sukhender Reddy and Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar held a preparatory meeting on Sunday. The Speaker said, “As in the past, the State Government and its officials are requested to extend their full cooperation for these sessions as well. The Budget sessions are of paramount importance; not only do they span a longer duration, but they also involve extended sitting hours. The sessions can proceed effectively only if a peaceful atmosphere prevails both inside and outside the House. Appropriate precautions must be taken to prevent the occurrence of any unforeseen incidents or undesirable situations. Necessary measures must be implemented to ensure that neither the Government nor the Legislature incurs any disrepute.”
The Police Department has been asked to take requisite measures to ensure that the sessions of both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council proceed smoothly and without any disruptions. During the Assembly sessions, authorities must gather prior intelligence to prevent any protests or agitations from taking place in the House, thereby ensuring uninterrupted conduct of the proceedings.
Pointing out that from this session onwards, the meetings of both the Council and the Assembly were being held at the same venue, Sukhender Reddy said additional logistical arrangements must be put in place. He wanted officials from all government departments to work collectively to ensure the successful conduct of the Telangana State Legislative Council sessions. Necessary nodal officers and liaison officers must be appointed. He wanted the police to ensure that "Chalo Assembly" programs do not take place. Appropriate measures must be taken to prevent any traffic disruptions for the Ministers, MLAs, and MLCs attending the sessions. Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu said: "The government will provide all necessary assistance and cooperation to ensure that the legislative sessions proceed smoothly. To facilitate effective coordination, we will appoint a dedicated officer from each government department."
