Gujarat assembly passes two amendment bills

The Gujarat assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed the Gujarat Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control (Revival of Operation and Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Gujarat University of Transplantation Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The main opposition Congress supported both the bills. Tabling the first bill, Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said the act was meant to control rents of residential and commercial premises, and rates of hotels.

It came into existence in 1947 and its operation was extended from time to time. The act was given a ten-year extension in 2011, and it ceased to operate on March 31, 2021.

''This bill proposes to revive all the provisions of the Act with retrospective effect starting from April 1, 2021, so that it provides legal remedy to all disputes which would have occured between 2021 till 2024. This bill will remain in effect for five years, starting from April 1, 2021, till March 31, 2026,'' Patel told the House.

The Gujarat University of Transplantation Sciences Act was enacted in 2015 to impart systematic teaching, training, and to carry out research in transplantation and allied sciences, said Patel.

The original Act was also brought in to confer the status of university on Smt Gulabben Rasiklal Doshi and Smt Kamlaben Mafatlal Mehta Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre - Dr H L Trivedi Institute of Transplantation Sciences, known as IKDRC-ITS.

''The original Act provides for the appointment of a pro-chancellor of the university. However, to bring parity with other university laws, we now propose to remove the post of pro-chancellor. Moreover, it is also considered necessary that Gujarat Governor preside at the convocation as chancellor of the varsity. Thus, we are proposing some necessary amendments,'' the minister said.

The amendment also provides that the vice chancellor will also function as ex-officio director of the institute (IKDRC-ITS), said Patel while tabling the bill.