JOIN USThe two Houses of the State legislature passed a total of 10 Bills including two appropriation bills (the State budget) without discussion amidst din with BJP members staging dharna in the wells of the Legislative Assembly and the Council.
Only a vote-on-account for four months was taken in March this year, when the budget proposals were tabled in the legislature.
The passage of the two appropriation bills gives the State government the go-ahead to draw a total of Rs 1.45 lakh crore (including supplementary estimates of Rs 4,326 crore) from the State exchequer till March 31, 2015.
The finance bills were passed without the customary reply of the finance minister. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who holds the finance portfolio, said his reply be deemed laid.
In the Assembly, the BJP members were demanding a CBI probe into the alleged illegalities in the denotification of Arkavathy Layout lands, while in the Council the BJP members staged protest demanding that discussion on the violence in Yellur in Belgaum be taken up for discussion even before the Question Hour.
An amendment bill to enhance the scope of Goonda Act, which has stringent penal provisions, to include sexual offences, land grabbing, environment depredation and money laundering, was passed sans discussion.
Among other bills passed include Karnataka Souharda Sahakari (amendment) Bill that gives powers to the government to reject by-laws framed by cooperative institutions; the Universities of Agricultural Sciences Bill, which makes provision for initiating action against vice-chancellors when they disobey directions of the chancellor or State government; Sri Malai Mahadeshwara Kshetra Development Authority (amendment bill), which gives more power to the authority.
The Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority Bill, 2014 and the Karnataka Land Reforms and Certain Other Law (amendment) Bill, 2014, which provides for cutting procedural delays after land allocation, already passed by the Assembly was passed in the Council.
The Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to use Kannada as a communicative language in High Court while passing orders. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was to read out a written statement on the Arkavathi Layout allegations, was forced to just table his answer.
The Assembly was adjourned sine die. However, the Council will meet on Wednesday to discuss the Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2014 which provides for extending the tenure of Bagair Hukum regularisation committees by two more years.
The ruling party wanted to table the Bill at a time when Chairman D H Shankaramurthy had made his concluding remarks and was about to adjourn the House sine die. As BJP members protested the government’s move, Shankaramurthy adjourned the House to Wednesday.