Jan Vishwas bill moots fine, jail for grabbing govt land | India News
New Delhi: Illegal encroachment and encroachment on government land and public premises will attract heavy fines in addition to jail – the second version of the Jan Biswas Bill has proposed to curb this menace by adding a fine to the value of the land in addition to a six-month jail term.The bill – tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday – proposes to amend Section-11 of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupiers) Act which currently provides for a six-month jail term or a fine of Rs 5,000 or both. According to the proposal, the penalty would be 5% of the value of the land for encroachment every year or both—fine and imprisonment. Officials said this would prevent encroachment and curb land grabbing.It also proposes penalties for unauthorized occupants of public premises. In such cases, offenders will be liable to pay 40 times the license fee – the rent to the government – for the first month, with fines increasing by 10% each subsequent month under a telescopic formula. For repeat offenders, the fine will be 50 times the first month’s license fee and increase monthly, a move aimed at taking strict action against those who illegally occupy government premises or land.To prevent nuisance – drunkenness, sitting on the floor, spitting, carrying objectionable items and demonstrations – in metro trains, the bill seeks to amend certain provisions of the Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act by increasing the fine from Rs 500 to Rs 2,500.The bill also proposes to amend 20-odd provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. These include allowing registration of vehicles across a state rather than the specific jurisdiction of an RTO; and for granting permission to renew a driving license from the date of its renewal and not from the date of expiry, if applied for after expiry.It proposed to increase the period for reporting cancellation of vehicle registration from 14 days to 30 days and from 14 days to 30 days for notifying the insurer of transfer of insurance certificate.The bill proposes “penalty” instead of “fine”. While fines are settled by courts of law, fines can be collected by a regulatory authority.
