Assembly adopts Bill to amend AP Municipal Laws Amendment Act

Hyderabad, Mar 19: Amidst resistance from major Opposition parties, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly tonight adopted a Bill to amend the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Laws and Urban Areas (Development) Amendment (APMLA) Act, to regularise buildings constructed without sanctioned plan and to regularise and penalise those buildings constructed by deviating the sanctioned plan.

With the Opposition parties pressing for division, panel Speaker N Manohar put the Bill to vote and it was adopted with 44 votes for and 27 votes against the Bill.

Explaining the objectives and reasons for bringing the Bill, Municipal Administration Minister K Ranga Rao said the Bill was brought in following the High Court's observation that the present fine for various types of violations were not at all deterrent.

The Opposition parties alleged that while the Government was sparing errant officials, builders and developers, it was imposing unbearable burden on the middle class and lower income group of people.

The House adopted, by voice vote, the Bill to make unauthroised construction cognizable offence and seal unauthorised constructions and another Bill was adopted to amend the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act.

UNI