Imphal, Dec 21 : A House committee headed by the law and legislative affairs minister Th. Debendra has proposed passing of a legislation to prevent the culture of bandhs, road and economic blockades in Manipur.
Debendra tabled the report of the committee on the first day of the winter session of the Assembly, which began today at the new assembly hall inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on December 3 at Chingmeirong.
In the report, the committee proposed the Manipur Bandh, Blockade and Economic Blockade (Prevention) Bill 2011.
The House committee was constituted during a discussion on a private member’s bill moved by the Opposition, four members of the Manipur Peoples Party on July 23 last year.
The bill made sponsors of bandhs and blockades punishable with one to three years jail term with a fine ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
The bill proposed to make one of the sessions courts as the special trial court for speedy trial of the offender.
“Bandhs, road blockades and economic blockades called and held by a group of persons in the recent past have affected normal life, public and individual property and state economy in various ways resulting even to loss of life,” the report said.
It said the Supreme Court held calling of a bandh as “illegal and unconstitutional”.
“Members of all organisations, including political parties, are liable to be prosecuted for criminal offences and they are also liable for all the damage caused out of such bandhs, blockades and economic blockades,” the report said.
The House committee was constituted even as the United Naga Council (UNC) was imposing an economic blockade along the Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Jiribam highways after the Okram Ibobi Singh government prevented NSCN (I-M) leader Th. Muivah from entering Manipur in May last year.
The Sadar Hills District Demand Committee and UNC separately called a 120-day economic blockade on the same supply routes recently. Manipur is yet to recover from the impact of the longest economic blockade in the state.
The report was placed in the House today when a statewide bandh was called by a joint action committee of Irilbung locality in Imphal East against the killing of a government chowkidar and his son by cadres of the Kangleipak Communist Party (Mobile Task Force, Kesho Meitei group) for a ransom of Rs 20 lakh from a senior engineer of the public health engineering department.
The Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Council) has called a 36-hour statewide bandh beginning 5am tomorrow against the killing of the chowkidar and his son.
Chief minister Ibobi Singh today tabled the Manipur Lokayukta Bill, 2011, at the House.
0 comments:
Post a Comment