PANAJI
The two-day ‘farewell’ assembly session concluded, but not before the Opposition forced the government to refer two bills to the Select Committee.
After an intense debate led by Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte and Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant acceded to the pleas of referring the two bills -- the Goa Preservation of Trees (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The Goa (Verification of Tenants) Bill, 2021, to the Select Committee for further study.
The two bills were introduced by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the House on Monday.
Khaunte maintained that provisions of Section 7 of the Goa Preservation of Trees (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seek to dilute the scope of the earlier bill, reducing the governing body into an advisory role.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant agreed to refer the bills to the Select Committee headed by him after the Opposition raised objections against the Goa Preservation of Trees (Amendment) Bill.
At one point, Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco was reminding Sawant that the decision to rush with these crucial bills could have an adverse effect since elections are round the corner.
The Goa Preservation of Trees (Amendment) Bill aims to redefine the definition of tree, while The Goa (Verification of Tenants) Bill aims to give legal backing to the police to mandate people to keep data of tenants. There is a provision of a fine of up to Rs 10,000 or imprisonment for up to 6 months for not maintaining data of tenants.
The MLAs also said there may be chances of the misuse of the Goa Verification of Tenants Bill by police officers as people may not be aware of the law. They demanded that awareness about the law was needed.
