CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday passed the Public Premises and Land (Eviction and Rent Recovery) Amendment Bill, 2006, to amend the Act of 1972 for removal of encroachments and safeguard Wakf properties in the State. Now the powers under this Act would be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer of the Wakf Board.

The Vidhan Sabha also amended the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973, by passing the Haryana Municipal (Second Amendment)Bill, 2006, to tackle certain issues that created distortions. For instance, the existing norm of two children for the purpose of disqualification of a member had created social distortions including giving children in adoption, forced abortion and non-registration of birth. This also resulted in numerous litigations. Also now it would be possible for the Election Commission to take action against the candidates who exceeded the prescribed expenditure limit in the election.

The House also passed the Haryana Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members) Second Amendment Bill, 2006, to enhance the pension of its members from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5,000 per month. In case a person has served as MLA for more than five years, he will continue to be paid an additional pension of Rs. 600 per month for every year in excess of five years, as at present.

The Haryana Legislative Assembly (Facilities to Members) Amendment Bill, 2006, was also passed to make a provision of loan of Rs. 25 lakhs for the MLAs to purchase a built-up house or flat or for building a house to be constructed by a cooperative group housing society of which he is a member.

A loan of Rs. 1.75 lakh can be availed for major repairs, additions or alterations to his house. A loan of up to Rs. 6 lakh would be given for purchase of a car. The Haryana Appropriation (No. 4) Bill, 2006, was passed to authorise payment and appropriation of certain further sums from and out of the consolidated fund of the State of Haryana for the services during the financial year ending on March 31, 2007.

The Haryana Value Added Tax(Amendment ) Bill, 2006, was passed to amend the Haryana Value Added Tax Act, 2003. The House also passed the Chhotu Ram Deenbandhu University of Science and Technology Murthal Bill, 2006, to pave the way for upgradation of Chhotu Ram State College of Engineering into a University of Science and Technology.

Participating in the discussion on the Bill, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the number of seats reserved for local candidates in the new university would now be raised to 10.

Meanwhile, intervening during a discussion on the Haryana Appropriation (No.3) Bill, 2006, Mr.Hooda put the entire blame for the delay in the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal on the late Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal and the BJP and added that the late BJP leader Mangal Sein and Chaudhary Devi Lal, who headed a political party at that time, had resigned from the State Assembly to oppose construction of this vital canal and launched a "Nyaya Yudha''. Describing the SYL Canal as the lifeline of Haryana, Mr.Hooda said that both the Rajiv-Longowal Accord and the Indira Gandhi Award had favoured Haryana and the verdict of the Supreme Court of India was also based on these two awards.

Replying to the discussion on the Bill, Finance Minister Birender Singh said that the Government was considering a proposal on how to pull the farmers out of their indebtedness.

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