PANAJI
Goa Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar has said that the final decision on whether the monsoon session slated to begin from July 11 is to be curtailed or not will be taken only after the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) later this week.
Tawadkar said there was no decision taken yet to change the session's duration adding that the BAC meeting likely to be held on Thursday will have to deliberate the issue.
Tawadkar heads the BAC which also has the Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant, Opposition Leader Michael Lobo, the Deputy Speaker (currently vacant), Power Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavlikar of the MGP, Venzy Viegas of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Vijai Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Viresh Borkar of the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP).
Tawadkar said, the duration of the session will be decided on the basis of consensus in the BAC.
The Speaker said, the duration of the monsoon session was fixed to be of 24 working days as the legislative assembly could not conduct business at length due to the Covid-19 pandemic for over two years. He however added that now factors such as the panchayat election dates among others will have to be taken into account.
Meanwhile the much touted Person of Goan Origin (POGO) Bill, presented as a private member's bill by Borkar, may not be taken up in the monsoon session and has been sent for legal opinion.
Tawadkar said, "it is difficult for the bill to come for discussion in this session. Several departments are involved. So the bill has been sent to the government for legal opinion.”
