Assembly repeals NALA Act to boost ease of business

Vijayawada: Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a bill repealing the NALA Act, with the government stating that the law had become a hurdle to development.

Revenue minister Anagani Satya Prasad, introducing the bill, said the NALA Act was no longer necessary as land use and development could already be regulated through local bodies and urban development authorities.

He said the requirement of obtaining non-agricultural land use (NALA) permissions had turned into a major bottleneck. “Landowners are forced to run around offices, and permissions are delayed as officials are preoccupied with other work. This in turn delays construction of buildings and industries and slows down overall economic growth,” the minister told the House.

The minister recalled that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had announced at the Collectors’ Conference that the Act would be scrapped to promote ease of doing business. “We are repealing this Act as per the CM’s instructions,” he said. The House then passed the repeal bill with no objections.