Andhra Pradesh assembly passes controversial bills

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed two controversial bills, the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (Repeal) Bill, 2020 by voice vote without any discussion.

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh):The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (Repeal) Bill, 2020, for the second time.

The two legislations were caught in a deadlock with the opposition earlier blocking their passage in the Legislative Council.

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath moved the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, while Municipal Administration Minister Botsa Satyanarayana moved the AP CRDA (Repeal) Bill and both were carried by voice vote without any discussion.

The AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill is intended to give shape to the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government's plan of having three capitals for the state, with the executive capital in Visakhapatnam, Legislative capital in Amaravati and judicial capital in Kurnool.

The AP CRDA (Repeal) Bill was brought in as the government said it intended to constitute a new Amaravati Metropolitan Region Development Area under the provisions of AP Metropolitan Region and Urban Development Authorities Act, 2016.

The two Bills were passed by the Assembly in January this year but the TDP, which enjoyed a majority in the 58-member Legislative Council, stalled them in the Upper House and referred them to Select Committees for wider scrutiny.

The Select Committees were never constituted as the Legislature Secretary allegedly refused to comply with the Council Chairmans orders.

The issue is now pending before the High Court.

The High Court is also hearing a bunch of petitions against the government's move to relocate the state capital from Amaravati.

As per the Legislature rules, a Bill not cleared by the Council comes back to the Assembly after three months and after the Lower House clears it a second time, the Upper House will have a further one month time to pass it.

Thereupon, the Bill is "deemed to have been passed" by the Council when the Assembly once again approves it.

Since the four-month period expired on May 25, the YSR Congress government brought back the two controversial Bills to the Assembly on the first day of the Budget session on Tuesday.

As per the government's contention, the Bills need not be referred to the Council anymore and they would become law as soon as the Governor gives his assent.

(PTI report)