The Business Advisory Committee meeting held at Vidhan Bhawan on Tuesday decided that the Winter Session of the State Legislative Assembly and Council, commencing from December 7, will be held in Mumbai instead of Nagpur.
In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been decided that the Winter Session of the State Legislative Assembly and Council, commencing from December 7, will be held in Mumbai instead of Nagpur. The decision was taken at the Business Advisory Committee meeting held at Vidhan Bhawan on Tuesday.
Every year, the Winter Session is held in Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra. However, after deliberations leaders of both ruling and opposition parties agreed to convening the session in Mumbai this year.
Last week, officials from Vidhan Bhawan Secretariat went to Nagpur to review the situation. However, it was felt relocating administrative employees and providing accommodation for two-three weeks in Nagpur would require mammoth arrangements, which was not advisable in the backdrop of Covid-19.
The MLA hostel, which accommodates members when they arrive in Nagpur for the Winter Session, at present is running a Covid-19 centre. Several lodging and boarding facilities are handling coronavirus patients. Therefore, providing alternative lodging and boarding arrangements and maintaining social distancing was thought to be a difficult exercise.
Annually, when the Winter Session takes place in Nagpur sizeable administrative staff along with volumes of official files are transported from Mumbai to Nagpur. Along with ministers, elected members and their staff, arrangements require advance preparations. A sizeable security force relocates from across the state to Nagpur during the session.
At the BAC meeting on Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Nana Patole, Council Chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Opposition leader in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis, Opposition leader in the Council Praveen Darekar, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar along with other cabinet ministers and officials were present.
In Maharashtra three sessions take place in a year. First is the Budget Session which takes place in February-March in Mumbai. It’s generally for five weeks. The Monsoon Session during June-July lasts three-four weeks in Mumbai. The Winter Session, which lasts two-three weeks, takes place in November-December in Nagpur. The BAC will meet again in November last week to discuss the duration of the Winter Session in Mumbai.
