Team herald
PANJIM: Opposition members have again expressed their resentment over changes made by the Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar asking MLAs not to raise issues which are more than five years old during the ensuing brief Assembly session.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao has written to the Speaker demanding urgent convening of Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting to discuss the matter and also to extend the four-day winter session starting from January 16 to minimum two weeks.
In his letter, Alemao has requested the Speaker to ensure that Opposition MLAs are given equal opportunity and enough time to raise, participate and discuss on various matters of public Importance.
He further said that there is restriction to table only three starred questions per day (which are taken up for verbal replies) and 15 unstarred questions per day (which are with written replies only and not taken up for verbal replies). The schedule announced deprives the MLAs from raising questions of public importance as the restrictions to table the questions will not allow them to cover all the departments on a particular day.
Meanwhile, the Speaker on Tuesday issued further directions under Rule 207 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Goa Legislative Assembly, asking MLAs not to ask matters of or on past history and to restrict information sought to five years only.
