It is the government’s duty to protect the people of the nations, be it rich or poor. Will the bill be passed by the Lok Sabha?
A bill to extend the deadline for a law to protect slums and unauthorized colonies in the national capital till 2020 was taken up by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in the lower House by Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday. It was cleared by the Union Cabinet last week.
Once cleared, the law would extend the validity of the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011 for three years from January 1, 2018 — the current deadline for relocation and rehabilitation of slums and other unauthorised colonies in Delhi.
Earlier, the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill, 2014, which was passed by Parliament in December 2014, had extended the deadline till December 31, 2017.
Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said if the Bill is not passed, it will lead to “unprecedented chaos” in the national capital.
The legislation will give cover against punitive action on “as is where is the basis” until December 2020, he said.
Puri also attacked the Sheila Dikshit government for not coming out with a proper policy on the matter and said: “it was the failure of governance of a very high order”.
Singh said the legislation provides that no action will be taken by any local authority till December 31, 2017, with respect to encroachments or unauthorized developments as of January 1, 2006, unauthorized colonies, village abadi areas that existed on March 31, 2002, and where constructions took place till February 8, 2007.
The sealing exercise by the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee had created panic among the slum-dwellers and traders in part of the city, with the legislation expected to allay their apprehensions to a large extent.
Participating in the debate on the bill, BJP MP Parvesh Varma attacked the AAP government in Delhi, accusing it of not coming out with a policy on unauthorized colonies or slums.
Ramesh Bidhuri, BJP MP from South Delhi, referred to the hike in water tariffs and alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal government had deceived the people. He also blamed the Congress for its failure to come up with a policy on the unauthorized construction issue.
TMC MP Saugata Roy was to speak on the Bill but did not. He said it has become a practice to pass the Bill in the din, referring to the uproar by Congress members over controversial remarks made by union minister Anant Kumar Hegde.
CPI(M)’s Mohammad Salim also emphasized that a Bill cannot be passed amid the din.
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