india

Updated: Nov 12, 2019 10:15 IST

Days after expressing his concern over lawmakers jumping into the well of the Lok Sabha and disturbing the functioning, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constituted an experts’ panel to review the rules and procedures of the House. They panel will submit its report in six months.

The panel, constituted on Monday, will be headed by Lok Sabha secretary general Snehlata Srivastava, and her three predecessors—Bal Shekhar, Sreedharan and GC Malhotra. Additional secretary Abhijit Kumar has been made the member-secretary.

According to the official order, the panel will review especially those provisions for which further clarity is needed to make them more specific. Birla’s decision also comes after a similar panel in Rajya Sabha gave its report demanding major reforms and new steps to tackle disruptions.

An official added that the new set of rules might be aimed to tackling disruptions and deterring the members from coming to the Well of the House.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s first session in office had been a record-breaking one and the House ran with little disruptions while sitting for longer hours. The Speaker, quite popular across party lines, will face his next challenge in the upcoming winter session that starts from November 18.

Birla, who went to Goa to address lawmakers in the state assembly, said “There should be arguments and discussions, but there should be some rules or protocol about entering the well. Efforts should be made towards that.”