K'taka Assembly passes BDA Bill once again

Bangalore, July 18 (UNI) The Karnataka Assembly today for the second time passed a Bill enabling the Bangalore Development Authority to acquire 900 acres of land to develop an integrated high-tech city on the outskirts of Bangalore.

The Bangalore Development Authority (Second Amendment) Bill, which was earlier adopted by the House, was rejected by the Legislative Council. However, it was introduced in the Assembly once again and passed by voice vote.

Moving the Bill on behalf of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M P Prakash said the Bill provided for a one time measure of acquiring the said land for developing the high-tech city.

He said 40 per cent of the total area was earmarked for dwelling and commercial purposes. The project, considered to be a novel one, would have a six-lane road and comprise a state-of-the-art facilities.

He said the Bill had been earlier rejected by the Council members due to a misunderstanding that it was meant only for the IT sector.

The discussion on the Bill led to members revealing that only a select group of legislators were allotted house sites in the city and on several occasions several genuine legislators were left out.

Mr Aragag Jnanendra (BJP) demanded an inquiry into the allotment of sites under the discretionary quota of the Chief Minister.

Mr Prakash clarified that the new coalition government had not alloted any site to any one under the discretionary quota. However, he agreed that there might have been lapses in the past.

The Speaker suggested to the members to send him a notice on the subject to facilitate a detailed dicussion on the issue.

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