TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: Those who are opposing the khazan land development board bill have some vested interest in the khazan lands, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar alleged today in the House.
“The Bill has not yet reached the Cabinet. It has been drafted by the Water Resources Department. I’m starting a new procedure which will go a long way in taking forward the democracy of the country, which is putting the bill before the people first. Nothing is finalised,” Parrikar said.
“The khazan lands are today a fixing game with breaking of the bund to allow pisci-culture and hatcheries. This is a big racket. People have vested interests in fishing, that’s why they are opposing the bill and throwing to the public in advance. Why make allegations,” Parrikar argued, adding that they had extended the time for objections and suggestions till February 15.
“I’m not in a tearing hurry to get it passed. If I had vested interest, I could have got it passed. We have the majority (in the House), Parrikar said.
He also said that if the people had serious objections, he has no issue in redrafting the entire bill and that it was far from finalisation given that it has to first go the Cabinet, which has to then approve it or make changes and then it has to go to the House, which can then refer it to a select committee of the legislature which could redraft the entire thing.
Parrikar also promised to modify the waiver of house tax scheme, in the next budget session and said that he had gone ahead with the current scheme in the current form owing to an assurance given in the manifesto and his budget speech. In the current budgets speech there would be provisions to tax bungalows.
He also gave assurances on cracking down on the sex trade in the state, which he said was on the rise and to solve water woes.
