COURTESY HT JAN 19

Budget session: New seating plan, security rejig likely
Saubhadra Chatterji

letters@hindustantimes.com

New Delhi : The Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing construction for the new Parliament building will result in several new arrangements and key changes in the Parliament complex for the upcoming budget session. The exclusive driveway for MPs’ vehicles from Vijay Chowk is partially closed, the reception has been pulled down and the bigger parking lot is out of bounds on account of the construction. This session is likely to see a security overhaul as new entry points for lawmakers, VVIPs and the public are likely to be created in other parts of the sprawling Parliament complex.

The pandemic will also mean that, for the first time, lawmakers will not crowd in the Central Hall or Lok Sabha to listen to the President’s speech and finance minister’s budget speech.

Instead of the usually packed Lok Sabha, the proceedings will play out with MPs spaced out in the galleries and chamber of both Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha during the budget speech. They will also be distributed between the Central Hall, Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for the President’s speech.

According to government officials familiar with the matter, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will start meeting security brass and health experts from Tuesday to prepare for the budget session. The session has been planned from January 29 to April 8 with a recess from February 15 to March 8.

“For the past few weeks, the MPs are using other routes to come for their parliamentary committee meetings. The canteens too are serving a minimal menu. The staff car parking is no more available. This situation is likely to prevail during the session as the new normal,” said one of the officials who asked not to be named.

Plexiglass sheets, giant TV screens, voting slips are set to return once again for the budget session after coming into use in the monsoon session last year.

The upcoming budget or the first session of this year will take place after 2020 saw two sessions being cut short and the winter session entirely skipped due to the pandemic.