NAVVNEET DUBEY
Jammu: Speaker Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly Abdul Rahim Rather on Wednesday has ordered for ensuring the presence of senior most officials of the concerned department in the question hour after MLAs cutting across party lines accused the executive of taking the house lightly.
The issue cropped up in the question hour, when NC MLA Nazir Gurezi pointed out that the executive is not taking house seriously and junior rung officers are fielded while questions related to their department are taken up. The whole house sided with Gurezi’s assertion and accused officers of taking the house lightly.
Intervening, speaker Abdul Rahim Rather said that it is important that the highest officer of the department whose question is listed should be present during the proceedings. He said ,”Chief minister must ensure that officers of the concerned department whose question is taken up should be present in the house and that they take proper notes and address members’ concerns to their satisfaction”.
Earlier Gurezi said the CM should take action for the absence of officials from the gallery. “Are they above CM, these officers are talking house to ransom. The past precedence shows that Chief Secretary and other commissioner secretaries used to be present during the Question hour but now they are sending special secretaries and senior officers are taking the House lightly. These officers are public servants and we are the public representatives”, he said.
He added, “You look towards the gallery. This House is being taken lightly. I have been a member of this House for 22 years. This gallery used to be packed. The Chief Secretary used to be present during Question Hour. Commissioner Secretaries used to remain present. They think idle people (legislators) are sitting here.” Members from the treasury benches and from the oppstions BJP also stood in support of Gurezi and supported his cause.
BJP member Sham Lal Sharma said,” It has never been a past practice of bureaucrats remaining absent. A notice from the speaker should be sent to the chief secretary for holding head of departments(HoDs) accountable and ensure that officers remain present in the House.” He suggested that the business of any department whose officers are absent from the gallery should be deferred.
Another BJP MLA Pawan Gupta also questioned the absence of bureaucrats in the House.“The executive is responsible to the legislature. Why are they not coming to the House? Why are they absent?” he asked.
