Presiding officers’ conference in state after 20 years

MUMBAI: The annual conference of presiding officers (PO) from across the country is being held in Maharashtra after 20 years on January 27 and 28. Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha vice-chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh are expected to be among the 250 delegates likely to attend the 84th edition of the conference.
The PO conference will see deliberations on various subjects related to the reforms and changes that need to be wrought in parliamentary and legislative procedures and their functioning. The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha is expected to attend the inaugural function on January 27, while the Lok Sabha speaker is expected to speak on January 28.
“Speakers, chairpersons of assemblies and councils and secretaries of legislatures from all the states and union territories are expected to attend,” said a state legislature official. “The state legislature is planning dinner for the delegates on a cruise from the Gateway of India and a Shirdi Saibaba darshan by a special flight. Partially funded by Parliament, the state legislature has made a provision of about ₹10 crore for the conference and has appointed an event management firm to organise everything.
The official said that since the officials were allowed to bring their spouses after taking prior permission, they were expecting around seven delegates from each state, who will be put up in five-star hotels in South Mumbai. The conference is scheduled to be held in Vidhan Bhavan, the legislative assembly building.
Owing to the conference, speaker Rahul Narwekar will not be able to hold the hearing on the disqualification of Nationalist Congress Party MLAs. The speaker is likely to cite the conference as a reason in his plea to the Supreme Court to grant him additional time for the final verdict. The deadline set by the SC for the verdict is January 31, and Narwekar is expected to seek an extension of ten days.