Stink again disrupts Rajya Sabha sitting

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) A stink in the Rajya Sabha again Friday forced the upper house to be adjourned twice for nearly half an hour.

A week after half of the question hour was disrupted because of a "sewage gas-like smell", some members complained of "foul smell of burning" which forced the house to be adjourned Friday.

As a private member's bill on formation of Telangana state was being raised and treasury and opposition benches were engaged in a verbal duel over the issue, Congress member Alka Balram Kshatriya raised an alarm about a burning smell.

Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien adjourned the house for 15 minutes following the complaint. When the house re-assembled, Congress's Renuka Chowdhary said the smell still persisted and the house was adjourned once again for 15 more minutes.

After the house reassembled, the sitting proceeded normally.

This is the second incident in less than ten days when the upper house was adjourned over stink. The last episode was on May 10, when the house was adjourned for nearly half an hour over a foul smell, suspected to be from some sewer.