CHENNAI, SEP 1
The Tamil Nadu Assembly will convene for its next session on September 14 at a more spacious government auditorium here instead of its chambers in the historic Fort St George, in a virtually unprecedented development forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Tuesday summoned the assembly to meet on September 14 at 10 am in the multi- purpose hall on the third floor of the Kalaivanar Arangam, in the heart of the city, a Raj Bhavan communique said.
The business advisory committee will meet and decide on the number of days for the session later. The auditorium offers ample space to ensure social distancing norms for the legislators besides sprawling parking facility.
Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal had on August 22 inspected the Kalaivanar Arangam premises following a request to identify a safe venue to hold the session due to the threat posed by COVID-19.
The previous Budget session was wound up on March 24, ahead of the scheduled closure on April 9, a day before the nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus came into force. The ruling AIADMK-dominated House has a strength of 234, including the Speaker, with three vacancies.
