After select committees' rejection state govt withdraws 3 bills

New Delhi, Mar 6 (UNI) In what could be seen as a major jolt to its legislative functioning, Delhi government today withdrew three important bills in the state assembly after select committees' had rejected them.

In order to save itself from discomfort and embarrassment due to opposition from its own party MLAs, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit withdrew the controversial Delhi Water Board (Amendment) Bill 2005 that proposed to regulate and impose cess on groundwater, as also the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (Second Amendment) Bill 2004 and New Delhi Municipal Council (Amendment) Bill 2004 both of which sought to increase fine amounts from 20 to 50 per cent.

''I am withdrawing the (Delhi Water Board) Bill in its present form, for the present,'' the chief minister said on the floor of the house when the reports came up for adoption.

Though forced to accept the ''rejection'' report of the select committees constituted to go into the subjects after considerable pressure from dissidents, Ms Dikshit said that the select Committee had not followed ''due procedure''. However this was objected to by the committee members.

Earlier, the opposition MLAs were ordered out of the house by Speaker Prem Singh when they created ruckus pointing to an alleged report that members of the Public Accounts Committee probing the Smart Card scam were yesterday offered bribe by a private firm involved in return for giving a 'favourable' report.

UNI IP YA HT1955