Delhi Assembly to get 500 kVA solar capacity, save ₹15L per month: Speaker

Addressing a press conference a day after conclusion of the budget session, Gupta said that the Assembly will promote solar energy to send a message to the people to adopt it and ensure zero bills

Delhi Assembly is targeting to set up 500 kVA capacity solar panels in 100 days to save a monthly electricity bill of Rs 15 lakh, Speaker Vijender Gupta said on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference a day after the conclusion of the budget session, Gupta said that the Assembly will promote solar energy to send a message to the people to adopt it and ensure zero bills against electricity consumption.

He said the Assembly has also targeted to go paperless before the monsoon session under the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) project. A media desk will be set up and equipped with 25 computers, an internet connection, and printers.

Gupta said that in the 40 days of the formation of the new government in Delhi, two sessions were held and properly concluded.

The seven-day budget session was conducted for a record 27.56 hours. Gupta said that the budget tabled on March 25 was discussed for 7.13 minutes by 36 members, including those from Opposition AAP.

The only calling attention motion accepted in the session was from the Opposition, he said.

The motion was moved to discuss power cuts.

"It's, however, surprising that despite being on the Assembly premises, they did not attend the discussion on their motion. I want to ask the Opposition why (they) did not attend the discussion while lying that they were stopped from speaking on the issue of power cuts," the Speaker said.

He said the Opposition will have to answer about this in the next session. Gupta asserted that "politically motivated" disruptions by the Opposition were "sternly" dealt with as the last option during the budget session.

In a first, one day of the session was fixed for private members resolutions. A record 78 matters were raised under the special mention rule, the Speaker said.

Eight reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the performance of the previous Delhi government were also tabled in the House, but the Opposition did not take part in the discussions, he said.

Resolution under Rule 107 was also passed in the session, disposing of over 300 matters taken up by committees of the previous Assembly that were carried forward to the newly constituted eighth Assembly, he said.

Celebration of the Hindu New Year for the first time in the Assembly was yet another achievement, he asserted.