The Hindu 27.07.2013
Assembly passes municipal corporations (amendment) Bill
Opposition united on need for public toilets
The Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill,
2013, which proposes penalty on those who do not segregate dry and wet
waste and those who litter public places, was passed in the Legislative
Assembly on Friday.
Though Opposition members
supported the Bill, they took objection to some of the clauses,
especially on imprisonment. However, they were united on one issue: lack
of public toilets.
Imprisonment clause
The
former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar was against penalising people
without providing alternatives. He said it is necessary to frame laws
which are implementable. “The imprisonment clause is dangerous as it
could be misused by the authorities,” he said.
The
former Home Minister R. Ashok favoured giving more time to people to
understand the Bill, besides underlining the need to have more public
toilets, especially for women.
Apathy
He
observed even as there is a provision to penalise the common man, the
Bill does not penalise civic bodies, which are apathetic in extending
civic facilities to them.
BJP member C.T. Ravi
pointed out that the Bill did not have any information on disposal of
e-waste, which was dangerous to health. S. Suresh Kumar of BJP stressed
the need to take stakeholders into confidence on the matter.
Y.S.V.
Datta of the Janata Dal (Secular) appealed to the government against
making village “dustbins” in the guise of cleaning cities. The
Opposition supported the Bill after an assurance from the government of
taking their suggestions seriously.
BMRDA
Another
Bill tabled by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, which helps retain
Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) Act, 1985,
even after formation of the Metropolitan Planning Committee, was passed
without a discussion.
