Mullaperiyar dam issue to open Assembly session

The Assembly session, beginning June 9, will take up the Mullaperiyar issue on the opening day itself.

Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan will move a motion to discuss the situation arising from the Supreme Court judgment barring application of the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act, enacted by the Assembly, to the Mullaperiyar dam and allowing Tamil Nadu to raise the reservoir level to 142 feet. Leaders of all legislative parties will speak.

Speaker G. Karthikeyan told the media here on Friday that the House would consider a substantive motion on the issue at the end of the debate, on the basis of the deliberations. The debate would be allowed under Rule 130 of the Rules of Procedure of the House (which allows motions for discussion of matters of public interest to be moved with the consent of the Speaker).

The Speaker said the 28-day session was being held mainly for discussion of the budgetary demands for grants besides legislation. Bills to replace 11 Ordinances were to come for consideration of the House.

He said that leaders of legislative parties had responded positively, at a meeting of the leaders held on June 4, to the proposal that the House should increase the number of days of its sittings. Last year (2013), the House had met only for 37 days.

Mr. Karthikeyan said that 13 days of the coming session would be used for debate on budgetary demands for grants, seven days for legislative business, and five days for private members’ business.

The remaining days were set apart for consideration of supplementary demands for grants and Appropriation Bills.

The House will take up the University Laws (Amendment) Bill and the University Laws (Third Amendment) Bill on June 10 and the Kerala Cooperative Societies (Third Amendment) Bill and University Laws (Second Amendment) Bill on June 11.

The matters to be considered on the remaining days will be decided by the Business Advisory Committee of the House.