Rajya Sabha Chairman, Lok Sabha speaker discuss possibilities of holding both Houses separately, maybe on alternate days

NEW DELHI: Discussions on holding the monsoon session of Parliament with physical distancing norms saw presiding officers of both Houses consider on Monday the possibility of holding proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha separately, in the morning and evening, or even on alternate days.
If accepted, this will mean a break from tradition where both Houses hold their proceedings simultaneously. However, it will allow members of Parliament to spread out into both chambers of the House, in keeping with physical distancing norms.
Sources said the Rajya Sabha chamber and its galleries can accommodate 127 members while ensuring physical distancing, while the Lok Sabha chamber and its galleries can accommodate around 290 members. This is likely to be more convenient since holding the proceedings of one House at a time from inside both chambers will smoothen logistical and technical issues when compared to making these arrangements in any other part of Parliament or outside.
The monsoon sessions of Parliament, already delayed, is likely to be convened next month.
In several discussions over the last one month, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla have also considered the possibility of seating members in Central Hall in addition to the chambers of the House. However, keeping in mind the logistical difficulties related to central air conditioning and acoustics, as well as the inconvenience of needing a member to move from Central Hall to the House chamber to participate in proceedings has led to this possibility being dismissed as unviable.
On Monday, Naidu and Birla inspected the chambers and galleries of both Houses to take stock of seating capacity while keeping physical distancing norms in mind. In a two-hour discussion that followed, they are understood to have discussed this proposal.
Sources added that if approved, this arrangement will also enable the participation of MPs in either chamber through audio-visual connectivity, audio facilities for members seated in galleries, simultaneous interpretation, and even voting, should the need arise. Naidu and Birla have now instructed the secretaries general of both Houses to examine the possibilities in detail for a final decision.
Meanwhile, 41 of 61 newly-elected Rajya Sabha MPs have confirmed their participation for Wednesday’s oath-taking ceremony.