Atwal favours increase in duration of Parliament sessions

Phagwara, Aug 25 (UNI) Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal today favoured increasing the duration of Parliament and state assembly sessions in the country.

Parliament and assembly sessions should be held for at least 100 days in a year so that opposition parties got sufficient time to raise their issues which could be discussed in detail in the House, he said while addressing a news conference here this evening.

In a multi-party system, several regional parties like Shiromani Akali Dal also wanted to raise regional issues which was a genuine demand, he added.

He said he had pleaded this matter strongly at a meeting of the Disciplinary Committee of Parliament, which was attended by representatives and Chief Whips of all political parties.

To a question about the use of ''unparliamentary'' language by some MPs, he said series of training workshops were being held to educate them about parlimentary procedures.

Mr Atwal said a proposal had been discussed with Railway Board Chairman for construction of a Rs 532 crore railway link between Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib by laying a 45 km railway line between Jejon and Anandpur Sahib via Garhshankar.

UNI