By The Hindu Bureau
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday (July 3, 2025) said that frequent disruptions in Parliament, once a recurring feature, had significantly declined, paving the way for improved productivity and more substantive debate.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the first national conference of the heads of urban local bodies from States and Union Territories in Manesar, Haryana, Mr. Birla noted that the Lok Sabha had increasingly witnessed late-night sittings and prolonged discussions, reflecting what he described as a 鈥渕atured and responsible democratic culture鈥.
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He urged urban local bodies to institutionalise structured procedures such as regular sittings, robust committee systems, and citizen engagement mechanisms to strengthen grassroots democracy.
The two-day conference, themed 鈥淩ole of Urban Local Bodies in Strengthening Constitutional Democracy and Nation Building鈥, aims to serve as a platform to define the role of urban local bodies in a rapidly urbanising India and to highlight innovative models of contemporary urban governance.
Referring to India鈥檚 ancient traditions of village assemblies and community deliberations, Mr. Birla remarked that India had long been recognised as the 鈥淢other of Democracy鈥.
鈥淭hese are the roots of our democratic functioning, which we have inherited over centuries. Today, there is a need for municipal body meetings to carry forward our rich democratic tradition,鈥 he said, adding that the functioning of municipal bodies should be 鈥渄ignified, rule-bound, and regular鈥.
Mr. Birla proposed that municipal bodies incorporate procedures such as Question Hour and Zero Hour to allow elected representatives to raise issues concerning their constituencies. Such mechanisms, he said, would enhance accountability, improve transparency, and facilitate more effective monitoring of administrative work.
鈥淚 have observed that in many municipalities, councils, and corporations, meetings are not held throughout the year. Sometimes, only a budget meeting takes place, which is adjourned within half an hour amid chaos. This is not a healthy democratic tradition,鈥 Mr. Birla said. He added that municipal meetings should be day-long affairs with detailed deliberations on proposals and plans.
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鈥淭here should also be extensive discussion on the budget, so that schemes are made in the interest of the public and their impact is visible on the ground,鈥 he said.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini, addressing the gathering, described urban local bodies as foundational institutions and 鈥渢he first school and nursery of democracy鈥. He said the strength of the nation lay in the democratic depth of its local governance. 鈥淎 developed India and a developed Haryana can only be achieved through developed cities,鈥 he said.