In rap to govt, House panel demands winter session

KATHMANDU, Apr 24: At a time when summoning a winter session has become uncertain due to paucity of time, a parliamentary panel on Thursday demanded that the government summon the winter session at the earliest.

The Parliamentary Committee on Good Governance and Monitoring formally decided to draw the attention of the government, the prime minister and the Office of the Council of Ministers to summoning the winter session without further delay.This is the first time in Nepal's parliamentary history that a parliamentary panel has officially called on the government to summon a House session, according to the Parliament Secretariat.

Summoning of the regular winter session has become uncertain as the government failed to pay attention to this even five months after the prorogation of the budget session on November 9, 2014. "The Parliamentary Committee on Good Governance and Monitoring is deeply concerned about this as it has a bearing on the country's good governance, the government's activities and its responsibility and accountability," reads the minutes of the parliamentary panel meeting on Thursday.

Several bills related to good governance, including one concerning the Civil Service Act (Amendment) and a Social Reform Bill, are pending in parliament.

Addressing the parliamentary panel meeting on Thursday, various lawmakers including Uday Nepali, Jeetu Gautam, Siddhi Lal Shrestha and Aman Lal Modi seconded the proposal floated by Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal Chairman Kamal Thapa. "This is a rebuke against the government for its failure and irresponsibility towards parliament, and the government should feel ashamed," said RPP-N Chief Whip Dilnath Giri.

However, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Chinkaji Shrestha expressed reservations over the decision of the parliamentary panel. He argued that the government should not be blamed for the delay in summoning the house session as it is now focused on constitution writing.

Ruling UML lawmaker Sher Dhan Rai-led committee also formed a five-member sub-committee to monitor the activities of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Similarly, the committee has directed the government to ensure effective treatment for the victims of the seasonal flu outbreak in Jajarkot.

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