Access to public, students to winter session to be increased

Speaker U.T. Khader and council chairman Basavaraj Horatti inspected various halls and facilities at the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi on Friday, in preparation for the winter session of the State legislature.

Speaker U.T. Khader and Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti inspected various halls and facilities at the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi on Friday, in preparation for the winter session of the State legislature. They later held a meeting with the secretariat and district administration officials about the preparations.

Mr. Khader said that he had asked the legislature secretariat and police officials to take steps to ensure that access to the public and students to witness the Assembly and Council proceedings would be increased. The number of people and students who want to witness the proceedings is increasing every year. We have to make sure that the process of issuing passes, crowd-control and safety of visitors are done right. Arrangements for identifying schools should be done in advance. Students should get a place to sit, and should get drinking water and access to toilets, he said.

Care should be taken to ensure that there is no disturbance to the Chief Minister, Ministers and members arriving for the session. The food arrangements for the VIPs, officials and staff, including drivers and attendants, should be hassle-free, Mr. Khader said. Action should be taken to prevent traffic congestion at the entrance of the Suvarna Soudha. Officers should install CCTV cameras at vantage points and protest sites and monitor them closely, the Speaker said. “Just like the last session, this winter session should be conducted neatly. All departments should work in coordination to make all preparations for a successful winter session,” Mr. Khader said.

Mr. Horatti said that cultural programmes of different districts should be organised every day, like last time. He said artists from neighbouring districts should also be included. He asked officers to ensure that there would be no disruption in the internet system during the session. He asked the district administration officials to see that the seating arrangement for public was made in hotels and guesthouses where Ministers and legislators stayed. “A meeting with the hotel owners should be held to give appropriate instructions,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan said that various committees were formed to conduct the session in a systematic manner. District-level officers have been assigned to committees for accommodation, food and security. Apart from running separate canteens, there will be a provision for private canteens at the Suvarna Soudha, the DC said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohan Jagdeesh said around 5,000 police officers and staff were deployed for the last session and that arrangements were being made keeping that in mind.

MLA Raju (Asif) Sait, Assembly secretary M.K. Visalakshi, council secretary Mahalakshmi, SP Bheema Shankar Guled, Zilla Panchayat CEO Rahul Shinde, and other officers were present.