UP govt to assembly: Patronage to criminals won't be allowed

Lucknow, Mar 11 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh government today assured the state assembly that patronage to criminals would not be allowed, and stringent action initiated against those extorting goonda tax.

Replying to the budgetary grants, state parliamentary affairs minister Lalji Verma said the law and order situation in the state had improved and the government.

He said mafias, who had political patronage in the previous regime, would not be allowed to continue.

When BJP member Hukum Singh said that goonda tax was being collected at all the inter-state entry points, the minister said the government will certainly look into the issue.

Later, the House passed the budgetary grants and related appropriation bills of over Rs 122698.41 crore.

Earlier, the House approved three bills -- UP Nagar Nigam (Amendment) Bill 2008 giving more financial powers to the corporations, UP State legislature (Achievement and Pension Amendment) Bill 2008 for raising the allotment of railway coupons to the legislators from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per year and UP Regulation of Money-Lending (Amendment) Bill 2008 for harsher harsh punishment for the money lenders, if they harassed the poor.

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