Parliament Passes National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provision) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023

On the twelfth day of the Winter Session, the Parliament passed on Tuesday (December 19) passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The Lok Sabha cleared the bill today afternoon. Following that, the bill was sent to the Rajya Sabha, which also cleared it within minutes.The bill was discussed amidst a mass suspension of opposition MPs. 141 MPs belonging to the INDIA bloc have been suspended so far during the present session. The legislation, introduced on December 13 by Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, seeks to extend the validity of a central act addressing unauthorised colonies and slum relocation.The bill, which extends the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act's validity from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026, aims to provide continued protection from punitive action for various unauthorised developments in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. This includes slum dwellers, hawkers, unauthorised colonies, schools, religious and cultural institutions, and agricultural godowns.The government argues that the complexities involved in addressing unauthorised constructions necessitate an extension. "There is a need for continuing the protection from punitive action granted to certain forms of unauthorized developments in the National Capital Territory of Delhi," the statements and objectives of the bill states. It points out ongoing processes, including the finalisation of development control norms and the Master Plan for Delhi-2041, which encompasses measures for unauthorised developments.This move has not been without criticism, with opposition members arguing that the pushing back of deadlines is a stopgap measure rather than a policy-based solution. The housing affairs minister, however, defended the legislation in the parliament's lower house today, saying that the act's validity needed to be extended for another three years or the vulnerable population of Delhi would be "liable for ceiling, demolition and displacement".The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011, which was initially valid until December 31, 2014, has seen many extensions. The most recent amendment, passed in 2021, extended it until December 31, 2023, and now the recent Lok Sabha approval extends it further until December 31, 2026.This bill was passed by the Lok Sabha through a voice vote on Tuesday afternoon. 49 Opposition Members were suspended from the Lok Sabha today, taking the tally of the opposition MPs suspended in this session from both the houses to 141.

Parliament Passes National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provision) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023

Awstika Das

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