Lack of quorum disrupts Parliamentary Finance Committee meeting
The second session of the meeting was convened only after a delay.
KATHMANDU: Santosh Chalise, President of the House of Representatives Finance Committee, expressed frustration over the lack of quorum during committee meetings.
On Sunday, the committee’s scheduled discussion on issues related to the Customs Act had to be postponed by 15 minutes as lawmakers failed to arrive on time.
The second session of the meeting was convened only after a delay.
Following the meeting, President Chalise reminded lawmakers that the responsibility for legislative discussions lies with all members, not just the chairperson.
He lamented that even though members were informed about the meeting four days in advance, less than one-third of them attended, causing operational challenges.
Chalise announced plans to hold discussions with the chief whips of all political parties to address this recurring issue of poor attendance. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to convene a Finance Committee meeting due to the lack of a quorum. Despite notifying members days ahead, only a fraction of lawmakers show up. Is the responsibility of handling the committee’s workload solely mine?” he remarked.
Chalise also highlighted that the committee has received over 58 complaints so far. To address these concerns, he said, subcommittees have been formed to expedite work.
Chalise emphasized the collective responsibility of all members in resolving legislative issues and ensuring smooth committee operations.
