Ahmedabad, Sep 4 (PTI) The Gujarat government will soon introduce a bill that seeks to decriminalise certain offences in order to promote trust-based governance and ease of doing business, a minister has said.
The bill, as per its document, proposes to replace punitive legal action with fines and penalties for various offences like unauthorised construction, encroachment on public spaces, non-removal of filth, tying cattle on public places and defaulting in payment of certain taxes.
Other offences which would attract a fine instead of legal action include discharging sewage or any other liquid or material in open space without the permission of municipality, selling dairy products without permission, using steam whistle without license and loitering for the purpose of prostitution.
The bill has also proposed fines for offences such as lodging pilgrims in a building without permission, disobeying any lawful direction or notice issued by a municipality, defacing names and numbers of streets and obstructing authorised persons from entering a premises.
The bill is also aimed at simplifying rules and regulations and reducing burden on courts, state Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs Minister Rushikesh Patel said in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.
During the upcoming monsoon session of the legislative assembly, the state government will table ‘The Gujarat Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill’ to amend some provisions in 11 existing acts, he said.
The monsoon session of the assembly will be held in Gandhinagar from September 8 to 10 and five bills, including the Jan Vishwas Bill, will be tabled for discussion and approval of the House, Patel told reporters.
“Our aim is to simplify rules and regulations, promote ease of doing business, reduce burden on courts and rationalise the existing provisions,” he said.
As per the Jan Vishwas Bill document uploaded on the official website of the assembly, its aim is “to amend certain enactments for decriminalising and rationalising offences to further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and the ease of doing business”.
The bill will amend existing provisions of 11 different acts, including the Gujarat Co-operative Societies Act, 1961, the Gujarat Agricultural Produce and Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 1963, the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, 1976, the Gujarat Municipalities Act, 1963 and the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949.
“A web of outdated rules and regulations causes trust deficit. It is therefore necessary to redefine the regulatory landscape of the laws under the Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business reforms,” said the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill.
Reducing compliance burden gives impetus to business process reengineering and improves the ease of living of people, it added.
According to the bill, the fear of imprisonment for minor offences is a major factor hampering the growth of the business ecosystem and individual confidence.
“The government is therefore considering decriminalisation of a number of minor offences by replacing them with monetary penalties. By taking such measures, the government is striving hard to make lives and businesses easier and reduce the burden on courts,” it said. PTI PJT PD NP GK GK
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