CM introduces Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Bill
SHILLONG: Residents of the State living in rented accommodations will now be subjected to ‘harassment’ as the State government proposes to make it obligatory for all tenants to furnish requisite documents to the local police station or the local authority for verification purposes.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Friday introduced the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Bill, 2016 and the Meghalaya (Benami Transactions Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the State Assembly.
Under the Residents Safety and Security Bill, all persons residing in rented houses in the State shall have to furnish requisite documents to the local police station or to the local authority for necessary verification. The Act, however, will not apply to any house or rental units owned by the Central or State governments or a government undertaking or any other government establishments.
Under the Act, the government will constitute district task force in each of the district under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner. The local police station and the local authority shall maintain records of all tenants residing in their jurisdiction and once every quarter year, a copy of the records will have to be submitted by the local police station or the local authority to the district task force.
The Act says that any landlord/ landlady who intends to let his/ her house or rental unit on rent to a tenant shall obtain one time clearance from the local authority and in the case of existing tenants, the landlord/ landlady and the tenant shall comply with all the provisions of the Act within sixty days.
A police officer of the rank of officer in charge of a police station and the local authority shall have the power to jointly verify the credentials of any tenant, if so required, but with prior approval of the district task force.
A landlord/ landlady will be liable to fine of Rs 100 if he/ she fails to furnish particulars of the tenant(s) to the police station as required and incase of continuous default, additional fine would be levied.
Any tenant who intentionally furnishes false information shall be punished under Section 176 and 177 of the IPC while any foreigner who is residing without valid documents shall be punishable under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act.
Bill proposed to check all benami
transactions in State
As far as the Meghalaya (Benami Transactions Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2016 is concerned, the government may constitute a committee or an authority for receiving and causing verification of a complaint or information of a benami transaction in the State.
On the complaint, the committee or the authority shall verify such complaints or information and refer the matter to the district police chief for further investigation.
On receipt of reference from the committee, the SP or any officer not below the rank of Sub Inspector may enter and search at all reasonable hours any premises where he has reason to believe that any register of account or other documents relating to benami transactions are kept.
As per the bill, if any offence punishable under this Act has been committed by a company or partnership firm, every person who is in charge of or is responsible to the company for the conduct of the business of the company or partnership firm shall be deemed to have committed an offence under the Act.
Whoever commits an offence under the Act or willfully refuses or fails to comply with any direction made under the Act on conviction by a court of Judicial Magistrate first class, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or with fine not exceeding twenty thousand rupees or with both provided that the minimum punishment for the second and subsequent offence shall be with imprisonment for a term not less than three months and also with fine of not less than ten thousand rupees or both.