ROURKELA: Taking a leaf out of the Uttar Pradesh government’s law book, deputy speaker and Talsara MLA Bhawani Shankar Bhoi has proposed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to formulate ‘Odisha Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act’.
Bhoi met the CM on July 24 and handed over a memorandum insisting on enactment of the new Act on the lines of UP. It would effectively curb organised crimes and anti-social activities in Odisha, he said.
The deputy speaker said organised crimes, gang operations and anti-social activities have evolved in complexity and scale across various regions of Odisha. Incidents of land grabbing, extortion, contract killing, illegal mining, narcotics trafficking and coordinated criminal syndicates have steadily increased. These groups often operate beyond reach of the existing legal frameworks exploiting procedural delays and loopholes.
To address the growing threat and ensure public safety, there is a strong and urgent need to establish a special legislation tailored to address Odisha’s law and order realities and similar to the UP Gangsters & Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, Bhoi said.
The proposed Act should seek to prevent formation and operation of organised criminal groups, ensure effective prosecution and deterrence, safeguard public order, safety and property through a dedicated legal framework and enable swift preventive actions including attachment of property and preventive detention, he said.
Bhoi noted that the provisions of the existing laws of BNS, BNSS and UAPA fall short in tackling the syndicated, organised and financially entrenched nature of gang crimes. A dedicated Act will empower law enforcement agencies with special powers to identify, intercept and neutralise gang networks, allow property attachment and seizure proceedings to choke their finances, enable preventive detention, facilitate setting up of special courts for speedy trials and improve coordination among police, intelligence and revenue authorities.
The deputy speaker also said the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act and Tamil Nadu Goondas Act have shown positive results in deterring gang violence and repeat offenders. He recommended the Home department to initiate the process of drafting the proposed legislation keeping in view the local crime patterns.
He suggested to constitute a committee with representatives from the Home, Law and Revenue departments and police administration for the purpose.