Jammu, April 1 The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday witnessed rare consensus as members from all parties expressed their disapproval of the absence of senior officers from the gallery, prompting Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to bring the matter to the attention of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The issue was raised by National Conference legislator Nazir Ahmad Gurezi towards the end of the Question Hour, receiving support from members on both the treasury and opposition benches, who stood up in protest.
The speaker assured the protesting members that the House has taken note of their concerns, emphasizing that it is essential for the relevant officers to be present whenever questions related to their departments are raised.
"It is neither reasonable nor feasible for the entire secretariat to be present here, given the space constraints. However, the chief minister must ensure that the relevant officers are present when such questions are raised, and that they take proper notes and address members' concerns to their satisfaction," Rather said.
Gurezi said he has been a member of the House for 22 years but has never seen it treated in this manner, pointing to the empty chairs in the officers' gallery.
"Earlier, the chief secretary and commissioner secretaries would attend proceedings, respecting the dignity of the House. However, today, officials tend to avoid attending," he said, urging the chief minister to take action against officers who fail to appear.
He said this House is supreme, and all officials, regardless of their position, must be accountable and should attend the House.
BJP legislator Sham Lal Sharma said the absence of officers was not the correct practice. "I believe the chief minister will take cognizance of this. From your (Speaker's) side as well, a formal notice should be issued to the chief secretary seeking an explanation," he said.
Sharma said that the administrative secretary of any department with a listed agenda must be present in the House, adding that proceedings should be deferred or dropped if the concerned officer is absent.