The parliament saris the opposition continues suffering from quorum crisis as many Treasury’ Bench members start deserting the House when it goes into dull business.

The House proceedings have become more tedious since the passage of the new national budget on June 29. And with the passage came to an end the ruling party lawmakers' blistering speeches against the boycotting opposition parties during a general discussion.

Falling short of quorum, that is presence of at least 60 members, halfway through the day's sitting has become a regular phenomenon in the current budget session that began on June 5.

Presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always helps the House to have a quorum, though. Being the House leader. Hasina attends the session almost every day and stays back for quite sometime. But the Treasury Bench members de-Eart soon after she leaves the ouse. even for a brief period.

And. the session goes on

without quorum - some 40 to 50 MPs being present most of the time. Interestingly, no-one brings the crisis to the notice of the Chair. It is the opposition lawmakers who would point out the crisis. Lawmakers of pro-government faction of Jatiya Party prefer to ignore It.

The Chair is supposed to adjourn the House for restoration of quorum only when the matter is brought to his notice.

The chronic quorum crisis in the current session was at its worst yesterday, private members' day.

With the prime minister being outside the capital on a state function, the truant Treasury Bench members got a free hand yesterday. Most of them did not turn up’while others left untimely without facing any obstruction from the Whips.

A handful of front-ranking leaders in the Treasury Bench preferred gossiping to the dull proceedings. Deputy Leader of the House Zlllur Rahman was caught off the guard when the Chair drew his attention to a deliberation concerning his local government ministry.

Deputy Sneaker Abdul Hamid entered the House on time. But he sat idle for about half an hour after the schedule of 9.30 a.m. to take up the Order of the Day. But the House fell short of quorum even before the first agenda - the question-answer session - was over. The day's business went on monotonously without the required number of lawmakers.

None of the three private members' bills could be placed due to absence of the relevant MPs belonging to the boycotting opposition parties.

Only two of the five private members' resolutions were introduced and disposed of. again because of relevant MPs' absence.

As the quorum crisis continued unabated, the Chair was apparently forced to adjourn the House at 12.25 p.m. with only 37 members present, leaving the day's business incomplete.

Speaker Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury did not turn up despite a‘ prld? anhdiincement that he would inform the House yesterday of the report of investigation by a parliamentary sub-committee on alleged negli-fence to medical treatment of ulfikar All Bhutto, a Jatiya Party MP who died recently.

Meanwhile, another BNP legislator Amir Khosru Mahmud Choudhury attended yesterday's sitting briefly.

Khosru was about to leave after signing the attendance register. But he sat for a few minutes following a request from the Chair.