'Prez nod for Karnataka land reform amendment bill in day or two'

Bengaluru: The President is likely to approve in a “day or two” the Karnataka land reform bill which provides for giving farm labourers rights over houses build on the land not belonging to them prior January 1, 1979, the state’s Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad said today. 

The Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed unanimously in both the Houses of the state legislature. It was then referred to the President for his assent. “In a meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind, we also discussed about our land reform amendment bill 2016.

The President has assured that it will be signed in a day or two,” Koliwad told reporters. As per the bill, the government has proposed to give a certificate of ownership to those agricultural labourers who are ‘ordinarily’ residing in houses build on a land not belonging to him prior to January 1, 1979. 

The eligible labourers will have to register as owners of the house within a year from the date of commencement of the proposed bill. 

They will be compensated in cash and the state will not incur extra expenditure for this. Koliwad had met the President yesterday to invite him for addressing a special joint session of state legislature to mark 60 years of the majestic legislature building Vidhana Soudha. The state has planned two-day event from October 25.