Vehicles seized in Assam can now be auctioned off: Cabinet

Assam’s Cabinet on Monday amended the Assam Motor Vehicle Rules, 2003, to provide designated officers to auction off vehicles seized, impounded, and detained for a range of offenses.

If a car is seized or held for one of several motor vehicle offenses and is unclaimed for 90 days, the officials are free to auction it off.

Several other important decisions were taken during the Cabinet meeting yesterday.

Himanta Biswa Sarma yesterday tweeted that the Cabinet had taken several decisions pertaining to widening scope of Master Plans, framing a logistics policy, auction of seized vehicles, relaxing promotion norms to fill up posts of BDO, easing GIS payment norms, etc.

To fill 34 vacant Block Development Officer (BDO) posts, it has also decided to ease the promotion criterion, with qualifying service period for feeder cadres of Assistant BDO (Panchayat) and Assistant BDO (Women and Children) reduced from 15 to 13 years.

It has also decided to amend the Assam (Services) Pension Rules, 1969, to ease hardships faced by unmarried dependent daughter of a pensioner in availing family pension and to ensure apportionment by the unmarried daughter to all other eligible siblings like minor son, disabled child, another unmarried dependent child.

It further added a provision that in case of complaint about the unmarried daughter not apportioning the pension to all the eligible beneficiaries, the Govt can apportion it equally among the eligible persons.

The State cabinet gave approval to Assam Logistics Policy, 2022. A logistics division will be headed by a Secretary-rank officer.

It also presented a proposal for evaluation and incentive disbursement through EoDB (Ease of Doing Business) portal.

Industrial Park developed by AIIDC & AIDC shall earmark 15% of its land for the development of Logistics Infrastructure including Logistics Park, Truck Terminal, Cold Storage, Warehouses, Primary Processing Centres, etc.

Dept of Revenue and Disaster Management shall prioritize conversion of land wherever required for setting up of logistics facility.

During yesterday’s meet, the Cabinet also said that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for e-Files disposal in CMO as Janata Bhawan is shifting to paperless administration from October 2, 2022
It also simplified the Group Insurance Scheme (GIS), allowing deduction of shortfall and grant Group Insurance Scheme (GIS) in case the pensioner or the legal heir agrees to a deduction with the interest of the shortfall through a written undertaking.

Further, a new clause is to be added in GIS to simplify and avoid delay in payment of GIS amount to beneficiaries.

It further gave approval to the amendment to Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority Act, 1985.
This is expected to widen the scope and content of the Master Plan for Guwahati Metropolitan Area, introduce new land use zones and meet reform agendas like Transfer of Development Rights, Transit Oriented Development, implementation of Local Area Plan, and Town Planning.

It also announced the implementation of a Local Area Plan, with the aim of redevelopment of an existing area by enhancing the quality of development through reorganization of public spaces, open spaces, formulation of a form-based building code, etc.

It has also decided to give nod to the formation of statutory body -- Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) -- for preparing a comprehensive mobility plan for the city, organizing investments in urban transport infrastructure, establishing effective coordination among various transport agencies, etc.

This will enable the state government to avail Central assistance for Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS)/Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) and other transport projects.

The amendment of the Assam Town and Country Planning Act, 1959, was also approved by the cabinet and defining of Planning Areas for a Master Plan, Town Planning Scheme, Local Area Plan, etc.

It also announced an additional 3% increment of salary for cadres of 'Mandal' and 'Amin' to ensure parity with 'Patowari', which was granted the increment earlier.