Adjournments in legislatures

  IN the Budget session of Parliament there were repeated adjournments which caused a loss of 19 hours in the Lok Sabha and 33 hours in the Rajya Sabha. The cost of one hour of sitting is estimated to be Rs 16 lakh. Thus the just concluded first half session of Parliament cost Rs 9 crore to the nation.

On one pretext or the other certain elements in Parliament raised much hue and cry. They then proceeded to the well of the House. This scene was witnessed almost daily on the television. What impression this gives about the dignity and seriousness of the House can be easily imagined. I am at a loss to understand why the Speaker and the Vice-President of India find themselves helpless to stop this nefarious practice. They should strictly tell the members to express their opinion in a dignified manner, standing in their own seats and not rushing to the well of the House. In case any member does not maintain the discipline, he or she should be disqualified for the session, rather for the whole calendar year.

The President of India, who is the final custodian of the Constitution, should immediately write to the presiding officers of the two Houses to stop forthwith the ugly scenes, and encourage them to take stringent measures to end this tendency of disturbing the working of the House by all possible means.

India is not a rich country. The tax-payer pays through his nose. The money contributed by the poor tax-payer should not be allowed to be wasted. The allowances of the members for the days of adjournments should be forfeited. Suitable legislation should be enacted in this regard at the earliest.

NARESH RAJ
Patiala

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Let MPs pay for it

It is stated in the weekly column “Delhi Durbar” — Cost of adjournments” — (March 23) that the just concluded first half of the Budget session of Parliament witnessed a loss of nearly 52 hours, including 19 hours in the Lok Sabha and 33 hours in the Rajya Sabha, due to adjournments. In financial terms, it cost the nation a loss of about Rs 9 crore.

I would like to make the point that democracy does not mean noisy shows in the two Houses of Parliament. It is a serious business and ought to be conducted with dignity, decorum and sincerity, without which we cannot ensure qualitative functioning of the parliamentary system. Exhorting the political leadership to set high standards in ensuring smooth functioning of the legislative chambers do not work in India, as politicians here read, hear and promptly forget about appeals and sermons made in this respect.

I would suggest that to begin with, no daily allowance should be paid to the members for the day the House is forced to adjourn without transacting any business as a result of disorderly scenes and interruptions.

O. P. SHARMA
Faridabad

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Raw deal to tourists

I am an architect. I flew from Zurich (Switzerland) to Delhi and then to Chandigarh to have a glimpse of the Corbusier-designed buildings in the city, but I was not granted permission to see the Assembly building.

At the Chandigarh bus terminus, I got no assistance from the local Tourist Information Centre. The Tourist Information Centre has not brought out any publicity material on the importance of the city in French, German or Italian, despite the fact this city is visited by a large number of tourists from these countries.

The city has no big hotel for low and middle income group tourists. I find expensive accommodation.

The city Tourist Information Centre should be reoriented and be headed by a well-informed and pleasing personality.

CHRISTIAN KOLLER
Rabengasse (Switzerland)

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India’s dairy industry

The Dairy Association President has criticised the Budget having left the dairy sector “high and dry” (March 5). In doing so he has given expression to the views of the organised industry which is already vocal and powerful.

He has bemoaned the increase in excise duty from 13 to 16 per cent on ice-cream and condensed milk. Apart from a handful of manufacturers in the condensed milk market, the major share is with Nestle, a multinational corporation.

Condensed milk is normally consumed by the upper class people who can afford to bear the 3 per cent increase in the excise rate. The bulk of the ice-cream is produced in the small-scale sector who is already exempted from excise duty. The major market share is again with an MNC which produces exotic and expensive brands of ice-cream. There will be no effect of the minor increase in excise duty on both these products.

Milking machines are used by less than 0.5 per cent of the dairy farmers in the country — the largest manufacturer is once again an MNC. It is a pity that the association President, Mr Banerjee, should choose to be the spokesman of the MNCs in the country.

Hailing from a village, I feel that the association has thrown to the winds the interests of the majority that makes the dairy industry — millions of poor rural farmers — responsible for almost 99 per cent of India’s milk production. It is most unfortunate that a few of our so-called experts are unaware of the real situation in the dairy industry, and presenting a misleading picture. Having ignored the interests of the farmers and acting on behalf of foreign companies, the association President has exposed his anti-farmer stance.

Col HARGOOLAL (retd)
Beri (Rohtak)

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A clarification

In my letter “Encyclopaedia of Sikhism” (March 25) there is a printing error in the expression, “It was the editor’s wish that the encyclopaedia should be released from Guru Gobind Singh Bhavan. It was, therefore, released by Mr K.R. Narayanan who was at that time the Vice-President of India.” The words in the second sentence “It was, therefore, released” should read as “It was to be released”.

H.K. MANMOHAN SINGH
former Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University
Patiala

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Street-lights in Panchkula

HUDA has done a fairly good job of electrifying and making functional all the street-lights of the approach roads to the general hospital, but it could still do better. That was possible by putting alternate lights in between and opposite the already existing ones, which would make it perfect, as from the viewpoint of development and the speed at which the expansion of the hospital is going on it might be one day the biggest hospital (district) in Haryana.

There is scope for another medical college for Haryana, and it can be in Panchkula.

SAKSHI KHANNA
Panchkula