The Bill seeking approval of the ordinance was initially opposed by Narsaiya Adam of CPM and Nihal Ahmed of the Janata Dal but they withdrew their disapproval after Raj Purohit, Minister of State for Housing, assured the House that the Government would take all political parties into confidence and welcome suggestions across party lines on the issue. The Bill for the new law would be introduced during the current session of the Legislature itself, he added to subdue the opposition to the Ordinance.

The Opposition's contention was that the Government was dragging its feet on the issue despite the Supreme Court order last year to bring a new uniform law into effect for the State.

`If theGovernment is honest about its intention to introduce the new law, what was the justification to promulgate the ordinance on extension and seek the Legislature's approval,' asked an agitated Adam. Wamanrao Chatap, JD, castigated the Government for delaying the introduction of the new law.

``When you are so interested in making the Uniform Civil Code, why can't you bring in an uniform law for the entire State,'' he asked Purohit, pointing out that there were three different tenancy and rent control laws in operation in the State. The first attempt to make a uniform and rational legislation on the issue was in 1993 but the Shiv Sena-BJP government was dragging its feet, he alleged.

Purohit explained the reason behind the ordinance and repeatedly assured the House that the joint select committee was finishing its task on the new Bill and it would be introduced in the current session itself. The new Bill would have several features to protect tenants, he added. The most important ones would be about transferof rent receipts in the name of legal heirs and compulsory registration of these receipts, landlords' no-objection certificate would not be required for repairs and tiling work, non-issue of rent receipts would be made a cognisable offence, he said.

``We will introduce the new Bill in this session but if we had not promulgated this ordinance on March 14, the Act would have lapsed,'' he told the legislature. Only when he assured that the government would not politicise the issue from now on and promised to take everybody's views into account on the new law did the Opposition withdraw their disapproval to the Bill approving the Ordinance.

Pugree system likely to be legalised

Pugree is likely to be legalised in the new uniform rents control law, if the statement made by Raj Purohit, Minister of State for Housing, in the State Legislature is an indication. A whopping Rs 70,000 crore is in circulation in the black money market by way of pugree because the practice did not cease even after it wasbanned in the Rent Act of 1947, he said.

Legalising the existing system would strengthen the position of lakhs of tenants who have parted with their money for pugree and it would bring in revenue for the State, he said. The pugree system was a perfectly legal option till 1940, Housing Minister Sureshdada Jain informed the House.

Earlier in the debate, Narsaiya Adam of the CPM remarked that the Government was a ``Shree 420'' government that had failed most remarkably on its promise of providing free and cheap houses in the city.

Walkout on PPIL contract scam

The entire Opposition in the Legislative Assembly staged a walkout today to press their demand for the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde, following strictures against the MSEB.

As the House assembled for the day, Leader of Opposition Madhukar Pichad and Congress members R R Patil and Manikrao Thakre demanded suspension of Question Hour to discuss corruption in the MSEB, particularly awarding of the Rs 187 crore PPILcontract scam. Pichad pointed out that the HC had asked the CBI to probe into the contract and submit a report to the court in two months.

Since Munde has refused to resign and the Board has not suspended the then Chairman Purushottam Gajralwar, currently the technical director, the Opposition will meet Governor P C Alexander to press for their demand. However, when Speaker Nalawade rejected the plea on the ground that he has already given a ruling on the same issue on March 23, the Opposition members staged a walkout.

Octroi ban: Chief Minister Narayan Rane informed the Assembly that a notification to abolish octroi in the areas of A, B, C and D class municipal councils will be issued by May 1. ``Since the decision will be implemented from May 1, the necessary notification will be issued by that date,'' Rane said. Rane said that during the ongoing Budget session, the relevant laws will be suitably amended for the purpose. R R Patil's contention was that there was utter confusion all over the Stateon the abolition of octroi.

Assembly discusses ESMO: The Assembly began discussing the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Ordinance that the Government had promulgated last month to ban strikes by workers in essential services.

However, due to lack of adequate time, the discussion ended abruptly and would be resumed on Monday.

R R Patil of the Congress began the discussion by asking what was the urgency in promulgating the ordinance that would take away a key weapon of the working class. The Government policies in various sectors, particularly State Transport and Electricity Board, was driving these institutions twoards bankruptcy while the workers and employees were finding ways to prevent it. If the Government can pay already well-treated government employees as per the Pay panel recommendation even at a huge cost to the exchequer, there was no basis to deny the same to junior college teachers whose collective strength is much smaller, he pointed out. ``If they resort to a strike tomake legitimate demands, you want to take away even that weapon,'' he told the government.

The discussion will continue on Monday.