Seek public opinion on resolution to repeal ULC: Sena

Mumbai, Aug 1 (UNI) Strongly opposing the Maharashtra government's resolution to repeal the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) Act, Shiv Sena today demanded that a public opinion be sought on the issue and the government resolution to this effect be sent to the joint select committee of the State Legislature.

Initiating the debate in the Legislative Assembly, Leader of Opposition Ramdas Kadam opposed the resolution and lashed out at the government for misleading the people and the High Court.

He cited an affidavit filed by the government in the HC in response to a petition by socialist leader Mrinal Gore and P B Sawant that by the end of December 2007, the government will accquire 16,000 acres of land under the ULC in Mumbai.

Mr Kadam charged that the government had mislead the court and the people of the state. ''There are about 30,000 acres of land under ULC in Mumbai. The government can accquire it for Rs seven crore and with the subsequent development, it can benefit upto Rs 2,00,000 crore,'' he said.

He wondered why the State should beg for few thousand crore rupees from the Centre. ''When West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh can get Central funds without scrapping the ULC Act, why force Maharashtra to do so?'' he asked.

Mr Kadam also alleged that the proposal to repeal ULC was an attempt to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. ''Shiv Sena will face bullets, but will not allow this to happen,'' he charged and said the resolution be referred to the joint select committee of both Houses and public opinion be sought on the issue.

Peasants and Workers (PWP) member Ganpatrao Deshmukh supported Mr Kadam on the issue of scrapping ULC. While criticising the government's move, Mr Deshmukh cited the government's court affidavit in April this year and said ''On April 18 this year, the government told the court that it had appointed 21 bureaucrats for the purpose of land accquisition under ULC and 16,000 acres would be accquired by December 2007.'' He added that out of the 30,000 acres of land under ULC in nine cities of the State, only 1,221 acres had been accquired under the Act in the last 30 years. Even the Supreme Court has upheld the validity of the ULC Act.

Mr Deshmukh wondered why the resolution was brought in the first place. ''The Centre cannot tell West Bengal to repeal the Act to avail of Central funds. Even Andhra Pradesh, which is a Congress-ruled state, has categorically stated that the Act would stay and still it walked away with large chunk of Central funds,'' he said.

Mr Deshmukh felt that had the government implemented the Act effectively, the housing problem in Mumbai would have been resolved.

Devendra Phadanvis (BJP), while supporting the resolution said that the ULC Act had failed to fulfil the purpose for which it was enacted and creating a housing stock for the common man.

The consensus for its repeal had started building up in 1995 and the Union government at the time, which had a Communist leader as the Home Minister, decided to scrap the Act with a condition that the demand should come from more than two States.

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