Bill to curb crime against women soon

Bill to curb crime against women soon
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, JULY 18: The state government will soon bring in a legislation to curb crime against women, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal announced in the Legislative Assembly today.

Replying to supplementaries over a calling attention notice moved by Sudhir Munguntiwar (BJP) and others on burning of a bank employee -- Vidya Prabhudesai -- near Mumbai Central last month, Bhujbal also announced that a committee of women legislators would be formed to suggest measures for prevention and control of crime against women.

A committee headed by Additional Chief Secreatry (Home) M R Patil had prepared drafts of two legislations -- Maharashtra Women Security Act and Maharashtra Prevention of Harassment of Girls Act. However, it was later decided to formulate a single comprehensive bill instead of two different bills on the same issue, Bhujbal told the House.

Accordingly, the committee has been asked to prepare the draft within two months, he said.

Munguntiwar asked if the government would form a committee of the woman MLAs for the purpose. Bhujbal said the government had appointed the Commissioner for Women and Child Welfare and a representative of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, who were well aware of the problems of women, as members on the committee. Further, the draft of the proposed legislation would be referred to the woman legislators for studying it and the amendments suggested by them would be incorporated.

Irked over the reply, Vishakha Raut (Sena) protested against the ``Deputy Chief Minister's attitude towards women legislators'' and demanded immediate formation of the committee of women legislators. She was followed by other women members of Sena-BJP, who shouted slogans against the government. Finally, Bhujbal said that the government would fulfil the demand of the women legislators.

On an another occasion, members of opposition Sena-BJP rushed to the well protesting agaist the ruling of the Deputy Speaker Pramod Shende on withdrawing a calling attention notice from the day's agenda. The notice was moved by Opposition members on arrest of a person allegedly linked to `Lashkar-e-Toyba', a terrorist organisation, in Nanded. Gopinath Munde (BJP) sought to know why the government failed to gather information on the issue on time. Minister of state for home Manikrao Thakre said the notice was also related to arrest of terrorists in Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Since the information from the two neighbouring states was not received, the government requested the presiding officer to take up the notice for discussion on Wednesday.