Bengaluru: It would appear that holding a legislature session at Belgavi is good for democracy and the citizen who get their tax money’s worth. Attendance of legislators is 99% according to secretariat officials. In Bengaluru, it is below 50%. In fact on some occasions it has even dropped to 35%.
Belagavi is 500 kilometres away from Bengaluru and legislators have few distractions as compared to Bengaluru according to Legislative assembly speaker Kagodu Thimmappa “I believe it is due to a lot of distractions in Bengaluru. What distraction do you have in Belagavi? All through the session, the legislators do not have any other distraction than to attend the legislative assembly and council proceedings.
“From their rooms they have to come to the Vidhana Soudha, and after the session they will have to return to their rooms. This isolation has forced them to take part in all proceedings. Nevertheless, it’s a trend to be happy about.”
It is learnt that almost all legislators have confirmed their participation for the session beginning at Belgavi from Dec 9th. “Only a few MLAs have chosen to skip the sessions owing to personal problems and commitments — that too with prior permission from the speaker,” said an official of the secretariat.
Currently, 73 MLAs have been provided accommodation at Hubballi, and 115 MLAs have been put up at various hotels in Belagavi.
Soon however, a Legislators’ Home (LH) is likely to come up around the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi. Thimmappa clarified, “A final decision in this regard will be taken before the end of the 10-day session”.
Despite heated debates, a chill in the air!
Its going to be cold in Belgavi, this session, no matter how heated and how competitive the debates of the legislature will be. On Monday, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 12° C. The minimum temperature in the last week of November was 10°C.
“Unlike Bengaluru, which is a concrete jungle, Belagavi is covered with fields, canals and greenery. This is why it’s colder here than the state capital,” said a senior revenue official from Belagavi district administration.
In fact speaker Thimmappa was clad in a thick shawl at 12 noon on Monday. It augurs well for a productive legislative session.