India’s top legislative authorities, Naidu and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, are keeping a close watch on the status of the coronavirus pandemic in the Capital and elsewhere to finalise the dates for the Parliament session.

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation in the air-conditioning system to kill or inactivate microorganisms, 10 display screens for showing live proceedings, and special communication cables linking both Houses — Parliament officials are leaving nothing to chance when the monsoon session gets underway amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ministers, former prime ministers and floor leaders of political parties will get preference in the main chamber, and many party MPs — even from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — will be seated in the galleries, according to a plan prepared by Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, detailed in an official note. The same plan is likely to be used by the Lok Sabha too.

It is for the first time in the history of Parliament since 1952 that both chambers as well as the galleries of both Houses will be used to seat members. House authorities are pressing for a staggered shift of two Houses—with Lok Sabha starting in the morning and the Rajya Sabha in the afternoon as it will help in keeping the session short and MPs from outside Delhi will get to spend as little time in the Capital as possible. But some ministries prefer alternate days as it would be easier for them to cater to the demand of two Houses.

India’s top legislative authorities, Naidu and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, are keeping a close watch on the status of the pandemic in the Capital and elsewhere to finalise the dates for the session. Under the Indian Constitution, the duration between the end of one session and the start of the next cannot exceed six months. So, Parliament has a window till September 23 to start the monsoon session, after the budget session ended on March 23, two days before a 68-day national lockdown kicked in, Hindustan Times reported on August 4.

To be sure, the 100-year-old building is no stranger to facelifts and modifications.But the pandemic has prompted the authorities to make unprecedented changes to a well-established system; the aim is to ensure the safety of members of Parliament by ensuring adherence to physical distancing and other norms in the post-Covid-19 era.

Such precautions come against the backdrop of the fact that the elderly are thought to be more vulnerable to the coronavirus disease. The average age of MPs in the Rajya Sabha is 63.39. The average age of Lok Sabha MPs is 54, but half of them are at least 56 years old .

As the proceedings of each House will be spread across the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and their galleries, there will be four large and six small display screens in the chamber and galleries of the Upper House, “audio consoles in the galleries, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, special cables connecting the two Houses for transmission of audio-visual signals, polycarbonate sheet separating the Official Gallery from the chamber of the House”, according to the official note cited above.

Naidu has decided that in the Rajya Sabha chamber, seats will be earmarked for the Prime Minister, leader of the House,leader of the Opposition and floor leaders of other parties.Former Prime Ministers and former Leaders of the House DrManmohan Singh and HDDeve Gowda, Ramvilas Paswan and Ramdas Athawale, being ministers and Rajya Sabha MPs — will also have earmarked seats in the chamber of the House. Other ministers will be seated in the seats meant for the ruling party.

The remaining lawmakers will be seated in the Lok Sabha, divided into two blocks — the ruling NDA and other parties. A similar practice will be followed by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, who will also use the Central Hall to accommodate excess members.

The seating arrangements will be in strict compliance with social distancing norms.

“Special cables are being laid connecting the two Houses of Parliament for transmitting audio-visual signals of the proceedings both ways without any time lag to enable real time participation of members seated in the two Houses,” said the official note.

Polycarbonate sheets—widely used in government offices now—will separate the official gallery from the Rajya Sabha chamber as both are in close proximity. A maximum of 15 officials and as many journalists will be allowed in the respective galleries. In the Lok Sabha press gallery, 20 journalists will be allowed.

While Rajya Sabha TV and Lok Sabha TV will telecast live proceedings through their existing arrangements, Naidu and Birla have instructed the secretariat to minimise the physical handling of various papers.

All the special arrangements for the monsoon session are expected to be completed in the next three weeks. The monsoon session of Parliament, which usually starts in July, is likely to begin in the second week of September.

“It will be a short session…the session will see the three ordinances replaced by bills for passage and a discussion on the Covid situation. If the government agrees, a debate on India-China relations can also take place,” said a senior functionary of Parliament, requesting anonymity.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/uv-disinfection-tech-overhaul-in-parliament-plan/story-1uiGMRKhqfNctnMr5iBZlO.html