LS passes bill to evict people from unauthorised premises

Lok Sabha today passed a bill seeking to expeditiously evict persons occupying unauthorised public premises amid concerns that the provisions could be used by the government to harass Members of Parliament.
Piloting the Public Premises (Eviction of unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2014, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that he would soon call a meeting of mayors to effectively deal with the problem of unauthorised occupation of public property.
As regards the Bill, the Minster said that he had no hesitation in accepting that it was a Congress bill, but he was going ahead with it as he has the "political will."

He said the bill was in public interest and would help the government in effectively dealing with the problem of unauthorised occupants effectively. The bill was later passed by the voice vote.
The Bill redefines public premises to include companies in which at least 51 per cent of the paid-up share capital is held by the central and state governments, and which carries on the business of metro railway.
Observing that it becomes a problem for administration to vacate places of worship build on public place, Nadiu said a consensus was needed to deal with the menace.
Earlier participating in the debate, some members expressed the fear that the "draconian" provisions could be used by the government to harass Members of Parliament.

Responding to such criticism, Naidu said that once an individual ceases to be a Member of Parliament (MP) he ought to vacate the house. Under the new provisions, the MP would have to vacate that house within 60 days, including the period of notice.