Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Wednesday said that the people raised questions about spending crores of public money in maintaining an institution (Parliament) that is not allowed to function.

In his address to the conference of the North East Region Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, read in absentia, Chatterjee said that wastage of house time and non-transaction of business due to the forced interruptions and adjournments was creating a doubt in the minds of the people.

He exhorted the legislators of both Parliament and state assemblies to ensure that the legislature played its role as was expected of it in a parliamentary democracy.

"It is certainly unpalatable that about 133 hours of precious time of Lok Sabha was lost in 2007 due to interruptions and adjournments," he said, adding the figure was about 75 hours and 98 hours in 2005 and 2006 respectively and about 20 per cent of total allotted time this year was already lost.

The 11th Conference of the NERCPA, attended by Speakers Deputy Speakers, legislators and officials from the eight states of the region, was inaugurated by Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga at the state assembly house here today.

Chatterjee, secretary generals of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and many other officials from the Parliament could not attend the conference due to cancellation of Kolkata-Aizawl flights on Tuesday.