Parliament panel on land slams govt over 'absence' of officials

Members from all parties strongly objected to it and termed it as an insult to the committee

Opposition members of a Parliamentary committee on land slammed the government for the “absence” of its officers, terming it as an “insult” to the panel. Sources said it was NCP chief Sharad Pawar who began the attack on Thursday on the government after none of the four secretaries, who were supposed to appear before it, attended.

The secretaries from legal affairs, legislative department, rural development and commerce ministries, and top officials from the railways were expected to appear before the panel. It was learnt that Amitabh Kanth, DIPP Secretary, was abroad while another secretary was attending some meeting.

The committee had on July 6 decided to summon secretaries of ministries concerned on July 16 to listen to their views of the amendments to the 2013 Act. The members had decided that if the government was able to reply to their queries on July 16, the panel could take up clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill from July 22.

“We had sought the response from various government departments to the complaints and grievances made by various individuals and organisations, which appeared before the panel. But no official turned up. It seems this government is shy of facing not only Parliament but even the Parliament panel. It looks as if officers have no clear brief. Hence they are not turning up,” an Opposition member in the panel said on condition of anonymity.

Soon after the meeting was over, Derek O'Brien, a member in the panel from the Trinamool Congress, tweeted, “Mockery or meeting? Last time Parliam cmtee on Land Bill didn't function because MPs turned up, govt officials did not. Repeated today?”

Sources said that some of BJP members also expressed unhappiness at officials not turning up. “Members from all parties strongly objected to it. They felt it was an insult to the committee,” a member said.

Incidentally, the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee also coincided with a meeting of Cabinet. There was another meeting of Parliamentary affairs in which a number of secretaries were present.