Maharashtra's 15th Legislative Assembly burdened with 3,233 pending assurances

Assurances pending from as long as 20 years ago

By Mr Pritam Nachankar, Nagpur

Nagpur, Maharashtra – The 15th Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra, formed under the leadership of the Mahayuti Government, which was elected by a majority, is burdened with 3,233 pending assurances. Significantly, these assurances are not just from the past 4-5 years, but include promises that have been pending for as long as 20 years. This information was obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Mr Pritam Nachankar, a representative of the daily newspaper Sanatan Prabhat. These assurances remain pending because fulfilling them would reveal the true nature of political leaders, leading to administrative delays. Furthermore, these promises remain unfulfilled due to political motives, among other reasons. Some of these assurances have become outdated, but due to lack of timely strategic decisions and the absence of political will, the number of pending assurances has been steadily increasing over the years. These promises remain pending from all political parties’ tenure. It is being demanded that the newly elected representatives and the new Government in the Legislative Assembly should seriously address these pending assurances and make strategic decisions for their fulfillment.

Representatives elected from the 288 constituencies in the State raise various issues related to the public in the Assembly. Issues like negligence of patients in hospitals, lack of infrastructure in schools, fake disability certificates, and other public-related issues are raised by the representatives, and ministers from the concerned departments give assurances for action. Once an assurance is given by a minister in the Legislative Assembly, it is obligatory to fulfill it within 90 days. However, given the number of pending assurances, it appears that neither the Government nor the opposition parties are taking this matter seriously. If the ruling or opposition parties are not serious about this, then at least the Speaker of the Assembly and the Chairman of the Legislative Council should set deadlines for the fulfillment of these pending assurances and resolve these issues. However, that doesn’t seem to be happening. This issue affects the functioning of Legislature and raises concerns about its efficiency.

Pending assurances of certain important departments :

Legislative Council also has 1,672 pending assurances

Along with the Legislative Assembly, the Legislative Council also has 1,672 pending assurances across 33 departments. These include 208 in school education, 195 in urban development, 117 in home affairs, 113 in relief and rehabilitation, 75 in medical education, 69 in revenue, and 895 in other departments.

Importance of the legislative sessions

Once a Government is formed, the ruling party takes various decisions in the interest of the State. These decisions are made in Cabinet meetings, which are the domain of the ruling party and do not directly involve the opposition. However, in the Legislative Assembly, the opposition, though not elected, also has the constitutional right to comment on the functioning of the ruling party. For this purpose, opposition leaders are elected and given the rank of ministers, which ensures that the functioning of the Legislature plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy democracy. Therefore, both the ruling party and the opposition should be sensitive to the assurances made in the Assembly in order to maintain the integrity of democracy.

Violation of public rights

If anyone believes that this report insults the Legislature, we respect their feelings; however, we humbly suggest that showing respect for these assurances by fulfilling them would truly serve the interests of society and democracy.

The Government spends crores of rupees on legislative sessions. Administrative officers from all departments are present at the venue of the session. The fulfillment of pending assurances in the Legislative Assembly is an administrative process. While it is natural for some assurances to remain pending, it is concerning when these assurances remain pending for years and their number grows into the thousands without any strategic decisions being made. This is a serious issue affecting the functioning of the Legislature, and therefore, it is essential for the Government to take strategic decisions on this matter.

(The failure to fulfill assurances in the Legislature year after year is an insult to the Legislature ! – Editor)

We will try to resolve pending issues by holding meetings with officials by January – Dr Neelam Gorhe, Deputy Chairperson, Legislative Council

When asked about pending assurances in the Legislative Council by a representative of Sanatan Prabhat, Deputy Chairperson Dr Neelam Gorhe acknowledged that many assurances remain pending. She mentioned that the lack of meetings of assurance committees and delayed actions have contributed to the pending promises. Some MLAs raise issues in the Assembly but fail to verify the facts. Nevertheless, it is a fact that a large number of assurances remain pending. Dr Gorhe said that they would make an effort to resolve these issues and try to hold meetings with the concerned officials by January 2025 to fulfill the pending assurances.