Raj Assembly passes bill to make Jaipur's Walled City area 'no construction zone'

The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill to make the entire Walled City area in Jaipur a 'no construction zone', officials said.

The Rajasthan Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was introduced in the House by Local Self Government Minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal and passed by a voice vote.

Under section 194-A of the new Act, the state government will get the right to declare a particular area of the urban bodies as a no-construction zone to promote tourism and preserve heritage, Dhariwal said.

Recently, while declaring Jaipur city as a World Heritage Site, UNESCO had asked to declare the walled area as a no-construction zone, he added.

He said that three sections of the Rajasthan Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2009 have been amended to strengthen the power of the State Election Commission.

In Section 23, the fine has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 for violation of restrictions on the use of sound amplifiers etc.

Similarly, under Section 28, it has been made a punishable offense to give false information or hide any information in nomination letter or affidavit by a candidate or his proposer.

Section 31 clarifies about filing election petition against election of any member.

Dhariwal said that the state government had the right to declare no-construction zone in Section 171 of Rajasthan Municipality Act, 1959, which remained in force till 2009.

This section could not be included in the amendments to the Municipal Act in 2009.