The Left Front today walked out of the West Bengal Assembly protesting against withdrawal of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2011, which named New Town as Jyoti Basu Nagar, after the name of the state's longest serving chief minister.
The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2013, moved by the state's Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim, was thus passed in the House in their absense, introducing provision to collect property tax from those residing here or running establishment in this planned city.
Before the bill was moved in the House by Hakim, a resolution was passed in the House withdrawing the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2011 passed by the Left Front Government in the House on March 23, 2011.
The slogan-shouting LF members, led by Leader of the Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra, walked out of the House for the day, saying the decision to withdraw the bill was politiclly motivated and aimed at dropping the name of Basu.
Speaking about the bill, Hakim said a considerable number of people have started settling down in the New Town and as a result demand for civic services are growing day by day in the rapidly developing township.
The responsibility of providing such civic services rests with New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) under the New Town Development Authority Act, 2007.
This instant amendment was thus moved in the House to provide such services to the inhabitants of New Town Kolkata on continuous basis and in a sustainable way, the minister said.
Stating that it will take 10 to 15 years for completion of this entire township project, Hakim said that the state government took up this project to diffuse the burden of enormous growth of population in the capital city and its adjacent areas.
With an amendment to the Section 36A of the Act, the bill also allowed increase in the fees for certificate of enlistment for profession or trade from Rs 500 to Rs 2,500 through the process prescribed by the NKDA, he said.
Governor M K Narayanan did not give his assent to the bill, which was sent back to the House for the opinion of the new party in power.
"If the Governor returned this bill, there is a process. We wanted to know his message to Speaker Biman Banerjee, but in vain," Mishra said.
Later the LF members proceeded to the Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor on the issue.
Congress members were absent in the House.
