New Delhi, May 10: The Rajya Sabha was today adjourned twice for nearly half an hour because of a foul smell emanating from a sewer inside the premises.
At 11.28 am, when Minister of State V Narayanasamy was responding to a question, Congress member Rama Chandra Khuntia complained that there was a gas leakage.
Other members too made a similar complaint. Several members were keeping their nostrils closed with their fingers.
Chairman Hamid Ansari then adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
When the House reassembled, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien announced another adjournment till noon. The sewer foul smell emanated and passed through the air-condition ducts into the House.
The gas leakage complaint comes three days after Parliament complex faced three brief power cuts on May 7.
At 12 noon, the House proceedings resumed normally, as engineers plugged the foul smell off.
Investigations revealed the problem wss due to a blockage in the sewage system running close to the chamber and the seepage in the syatem.
Three years back, a sewage pipe near the chariman's room was cleaned. Some utensils and cooking material was found lying there.
Air conditioning ducts do not take fresh air from outside.
CPWD sources say the problem is due to the barbage spewed by the kichens opereationg out of thr first floor. They should be shifted out immediately.
Raisina Hills, North Avenue and North Block and Rashtrapati Bhawan sewage pipes pass under the parl house.
