Om Birla expresses concern over fewer sittings of legislative bodies

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday expressed concern over the decreasing number of sittings of legislative bodies and urged presiding officers to make efforts to address the issue.

Birla's remarks at the inaugural function of the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC) here came amid reports that the Delhi Assembly held a mere 74 sittings in its entire five-year tenure.

The Lok Sabha speaker also flagged planned disruptions in Parliament and state assemblies, and urged political parties to draft guidelines for maintaining the dignity of the House.

Birla also favoured increasing the role of parliamentary standing committees to ensure accountability of elected governments.

"Standing committees are mini-Parliaments and there is a need to strengthen their functioning," he said.

The 85th AIPOC was attended by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and presiding officers of state legislative bodies from across the country.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Birla at the Raj Bhavan on Monday morning but was conspicuous by his absence at the two-day conference -- '75th Anniversary of Constitution: Contribution of Parliament and State Legislative Bodies in Strengthening Constitutional Values'.

According to a study by PRS Legislative, the outgoing Delhi Assembly, which held 74 sittings during its five-year term, met for an average of 15 days a year. On the days it met, the assembly sat for an average of three hours.

The House passed only 14 bills during its term, the lowest number for any previous full-term assembly.