Hyderabad: The Legislatures of both Telangana and AP states are set to pass the 122nd Constitution Amendment Bill (Goods and Service Tax) in the third week of September during their respective short sessions. Both Assemblies will have to meet before expiry of a six-month gap between two sessions — before September-end. According to sources, Union Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar and Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu have spoken to Chief Ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu. Both the CMs have agreed to pass the GST Bill in the Legislature sessions next month.
Apart from both the Houses of Parliament, a Constitutional Amendment Bill needs to be passed by 50 per cent of State Legislatures in the country to be notified as an Act. It will be a mere formality for these two States to get the legislation passed, as both the ruling parties, the TRS and TD have voted in favour of the Bill in both the Houses of Parliament. Sources said that both State Assemblies and Legislative Councils will meet any day after the Ganesh visarjan concludes on September 16, to meet for five days.
Meanwhile, AP Legislature will hold the brief session in September in the existing Assembly building as the construction of temporary Assembly building in Velagapudi is yet to get underway. “It is not possible to hold both Assembly and Council meetings in the temporary capital as nothing has been constructed so far. At best, we may have the winter session there provided the construction is completed by then,” a senior AP government official said.
