January 4, 2021 will be a date to remember. For, a dream will be fulfilled. The dream of having a permanent office of Maharashtra Legislature Secretariat at Nagpur. It is a significant development as the office will benefit not only legislators but also people from Vidarbha region. Vidarbha region became a part of the State of Maharashtra, after Nagpur Pact was signed.

 

As per the pact, the seat of Government would be shifted to Nagpur at least once in a year for a specified period of time and a session of Maharashtra Legislature would be held at Nagpur once every year. Such a system of holding State Legislature sessions at two different places existed only in Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir. In 2019, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh were notified as Union Territories. Among other States, Karnataka constructed a new Suvarna Vidhan Sabha at Belgaum in 2012, where winter session of State Legislature is held every year. Barring a few occasions, winter session of Maharashtra Legislature was held at Nagpur regularly, mostly in December every year, said Nilesh Madane, Officer on Special Duty to Speaker and Director of V S Pagey Parliamentary Training Centre. At present, Vidarbha has total 11 districts, which have 62 constituencies of State Legislative Assembly. Besides, there are nine seats of State Legislative Council including two each of Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies and five of local authorities segment.

 

With the growth in number of constituencies over the years, the legislators from the region faced difficulties in making submissions to State Legislature Secretariat at Mumbai due to distance. During his term as Member of Legislative Council, Nationalist Congress Party leader Prakash Gajbhiye raised the demand of starting an office of State Legislature Secretariat at Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur. Nana Patole, Speaker of Legislative Assembly, also stressed that a permanently functional office of State Legislature should be started at Nagpur. Patole also proposed to start a centre of Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training at Nagpur, in a meeting of Presiding Officers of all State Legislatures held at November 2020 in Kevadiya (Gujarat). Om Birla, Speaker of Lok Sabha, had welcomed this suggestion, said Madane.

 

Considering the demands, the office of State Legislature Secretariat is being inaugurated in Vidhan Bhavan, Nagpur, on January 4 (Monday). The new office will have a staff of 16 including two Deputy Secretaries, two Under Secretaries, two Desk Officers, two Assistant Desk Officers, four Clerk-cum-Typists, and four Peons. In future, meetings of Legislature Committees also will be conducted at Nagpur Vidhan Bhavan. The facility of filing questions, call attention motions will be made available to legislators for the sessions of State Legislature, said Madane. Various training programmes and initiatives will be implemented through V S Pagey Parliamentary Training Centre, he added. Prakash Gajbhiye was glad that his demand was finally being fulfilled. “This is a significant developement for Vidarbha region. The office of State Legislature Secretariat at Nagpur will save the trouble that the people of Vidarbha faced while making any submission to State Legislature,” Gajbhiye told ‘The Hitavada’. 

 

Winter Session not held in city on five occasions Barring some occasions, including the latest one in 2020, winter session of Maharashtra Legislature was held at Nagpur every year since 1960. So far, winter session was not held at Nagpur on five occasions. In 1962, winter session was not held at Nagpur due to China-India war. In 1963, demise of Marotrao Kannamwar, then Chief Minister, was the reason. Due to announcement of Lok Sabha elections, winter session was not held at Nagpur in 1979. In 1985, centenary celebrations of Congress party were held at Mumbai in the month of December and hence winter session was not held at Nagpur. In 2020, citing the reason of COVID-19 pandemic, winter session was held at Mumbai instead of Nagpur. However, on four occasions, monsoon sessions were held at Nagpur. These were in 1961, 1966, 1971, and July 2018.

 

Legislature Secretariat office inauguration today The office of State Legislature Secretariat will be inaugurated at Vidhan Bhavan, Nagpur, on January 4 (Monday) ceremoniously at 1.30 pm. Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, Chairman of Legislative Council; Nana Patole, Speaker of Legislative Assembly; Dr Neelam Gorhe, Deputy Chairperson of Legislative Council; Narhari Zirwal, Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly, will grace the occasion. Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, will join the ceremony via video-conferencing from Mumbai. First, inauguration will be done in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association hall on the first floor of the old Vidhan Bhavan building. Later on, main function will be held in Legislative Assembly hall. The entry to the programme is restricted, for invitees only. The invitees should carry with them the invitation card and photo identity card. Rajendra Bhagwat, Secretary of Maharashtra Legislature, stated in a press release that the invitees should follow all COVID-19 norms.