Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Bill (Amedment) Bill passed by LS

New Delhi, Nov 30 (UNI) The Lok Sabha today passed the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill 2006, which provides for new Trustees and for audit of its accounts by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, by voice vote.

The Bill, which was supported by all the members cutting across party lines, also provides for laying the audit report before each House of Parliament.

Moving the Bill, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said the composition of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, as provided under the Jalliawanwala Bagh National Memoral Act, 1951, included three trustees appointed for life, who were no more. These included former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, Maulana Azad and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew, and the government could not appoint trustees in their place without making necessary amendments in the Act.

''Therefore, in order to fill up the vacanices caused by the passing away of the life trustees and to make the Trust functional, it had become necessary to amend the said Act through the Bill,'' she said.

According to the Amendment, the new Trustees will include the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Congress president, the Union Culture Minister, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab and three eminent persons to be nominated by the Central Government.

Members, participating in the discussion on the Bill, welcomed it as a move to revive the memories and contribution of the hundreds of freedom fighters who laid down their lives in the agitation against the ''Black'' Rowlatt Act, and was the worst massacre during the freedom struggle. They regretted that ever since the death of Pt Nehru, no government considered it necessary to reconstitue the Trust until the present Bill was brought, and also came out with suggestions for the upkeep of the memorial.

Those who participated in the discussion included Rasa Singh Rawat (BJP), Preneet Kaur (Cong), Dr S Chakraboroty (CPI-M), Dr Ratan Singh (SAD), Shailendra Kumar (SP), Ganesh Prasad Singh (RJD), Prof K M Kader Mohideen (DMK) and Prasanna Acharya (BJD).

UNI YS VD GC1624