BJD asks speaker to refer dams bill to house panel

NEW DELHI: A day after the Centre introduced the Dams Safety Bill, 2016, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Thursday opposed the government and demanded the bill be referred to a Standing Committee for Parliament for scrutiny.

In a letter to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, BJD parliamentary party leader Bhartruhari Mahtab said the issue concerning the dams is a state subject and that the current bill — unlike the bill of 2010 — does not reflect the spirit of the resolutions passed by the state legislatures. He pointed out that the preamble of the 2010 Bill and that of the new Bill differ in many aspects.