ULC repeal put off till December

Mumbai, Aug 2 (UNI) The Maharashtra Legislature today decided to postpone the decision to repeal the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act 1976 till the winter session in Nagpur.

The Shiv Sena was in the forefront in opposing the repeal in both the Houses. The CPM also opposed the repeal, while BJP supported the government's decision in both the Houses.

Even though the ULC repeal resolution was listed on the day's agenda in both Houses, members, especially of the Sena, said they wanted the issue to be discussed threadbare and felt that the resolution should not be adopted in haste.

''We want an elaborate debate as we are opposing this move,'' Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Ramdas Kadam said.

He said since today was the last day of the Monsoon session, members hailing from outside Mumbai had booked their train tickets in the evening and had to leave. Hence, it was not possible to continue the proceedings till late evening.

Narsayya Adam of CPM also felt that the act should not be scrapped without proper debate.

In the assembly, there were 16 calling attention notices listed today, which made the Deputy Speaker Pramod Shende to remark that this had never happened in his 28-year-long stint in the Lower House.

The debate on ULC commenced yesterday in both Houses with the Sena strongly demanding that the act should not be scrapped, while Congress and BJP supported the move, stating that the act had not achieved the purpose for which it was enacted.

However, Shiv Sena said the ULC repeal act was meant to benefit the builder lobby and the rich.

Socialist leaders Mrinal Gore and P B Sawant issued a statement thanking ministers and members of the state legislature, who considered the danger of repealing the act and helped the legislature to arrive at the decision to postpone the decision.

UNI