4-day winter session to have daily 30-minute Zero Hour

It is for the first time that there will a 30-minute Zero Hour every day during the four-day winter session of the Vidhan Sabha commencing at Dharamsala from December 18.

The brief session is expected to be stormy with the BJP gearing up to corner the state government, both in the House and outside. State BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, BJP state president Rajeev Bindal, Himachal in-charge Shrikant Sharma, MLAs and all senior leaders, will stage a demonstration outside the Assembly on December 18.

An all-party meeting will be held at Dharamsala tomorrow to seek the cooperation of both ruling and Opposition for the smooth conduct of the House. Also, both Congress and BJP will hold their legislature party meetings to chalk out strategies for the session.

The BJP has already listed a number of issues like corruption, illegal mining, deteriorating law and order and the latest guest lecturer policy in the Education Department, which it will raise vociferously in the House.

The state government, on its part, will list its achievements, especially the fulfilment of guarantees, including the purchase of cow dung manure. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will also mention the six new schemes he had launched on the completion of two years of his government at the Bilaspur rally.

A number of Bills, including an amendment to the Land Ceiling Act, 1972, to provide relief to the Radha Soami Satsang Beas hospital are likely to be tabled in the House. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Pathania today formally issued a notification for the introduction of the Zero Hour under Rule 346 of the House Conduct Rules of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha.

As per the notification, the Zero Hour would be for half an hour everyday from 12.30 pm after the Question Hour and before other businesses are taken up. The legislators can raise a maximum of 10 issues and that too of public interest.

It has been clarified in the notification that the MLAs must list the issues for the Zero Hour at least one and a half hour before the start of the House. They must make a brief mention of the issues in not more than 50 words and there will be no discussion on it after the reply of the minister.

As per the rules, any issue on which a debate or a query has already been answered will not be allowed to be taken up during the Zero Hour.

Bill to give relief to Dera Beas may be tabled

• A number of Bills, including an amendment to the Land Ceiling Act, 1972, to provide relief to the Radha Soami Satsang Beas hospital, are likely to be tabled in the House
• Both Congress and BJP will hold legislature party meetings on Tuesday to chalk out strategies for the winter session