Those who damage public property are no longer safe in West Bengal. The state government has announced to implement strict laws against those who cause harm. Under which the government will compensate for the loss caused by vandalism to maintain public order by charging 3 times more than the value of that loss.
State Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari said that now 3 times the value of property damaged in riots, violent demonstrations or vandalism will be recovered. Along with this, he also warned that if someone does not pay, his property will also be auctioned. He said that heavy financial penalty will be imposed for targeting properties.
In a meeting with civil society and business community in Bhawanipur on Saturday (July 4) evening, CM Adhikari said that everyone has the right to protest, but this protest should not turn into violence nor should industrial units be harmed.
He warned that if someone forcefully closes an industrial unit or vandalizes it, he will be jailed and will have to pay three times the amount of the loss as fine. He said that if the damaged property is worth Rs 1 crore then Rs 3 crore will have to be paid. The CM clearly said that if the accused does not pay the fine then the loss will be recovered by auctioning his property.
On June 28, the West Bengal Assembly passed two important bills related to law and order, the purpose of which is to further strengthen the powers of the state to deal with organized crime and public disorder.
The first is the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Act. Which holds financially responsible people who cause damage to government and private property during riots, illegal gatherings and violent protests. The second one is West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill. There is a provision to keep him in preventive custody for 12 months without trial. The government has said that the purpose of the 'West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Act' is to protect industrial and government properties and to increase investor confidence by fixing accountability for damage to property.
The government says that the new law has been brought to protect industrial and public properties. Incidents of vandalism reduce the confidence of investors. Now with accountability fixed, industrial units will get security and the investment environment in the state will improve.
