The Legislature-Parliament is contemplating over reviving and discussing important bills registered in the previous Parliament, leaders and experts have said.

The government had registered 31 bills but due to the dissolution of CA in May 27, 2012, the bills could not get endorsement and are still pending at the Parliament Secretariat. Some of the important bills that remain stalled include electricity, sexual violence against women in workplace, land transaction and higher education sector bills among others.

 Officials at the Secretariat claimed that billions funded by the government and donor agencies were spent to prepare the draft of such bills. “Along with billions of rupees, considerable time and effort were invested to prepare such bills so we look forward for the government to table those bills in the parliament,” officials said. If the government revives those bills and passes them, the country is likely to get new laws in some important areas. After the beginning of its session from January 22, the government has not had any concrete business in the House.

The two main tasks performed by the Parliament have been the formation of rules of procedures and the committees. In the coming days, the House is expected to work on the bills on Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on Enforced Disappearance. “I have already asked the government to revived those important bills and provide concrete work to the Parliament,” Speaker Subas Nembang said. In that case, the Ministry of Law and Justice will again have to register those bills in the Parliament Secretariat to pave way for the deliberations and endorsement. “The bills prepared with much efforts should be utilised since they aim to regulate some pressing issues of the country,” the speaker added.

The pending bills include electricity regulation, civil code, higher education, criminal procedure, Dalit rights, penal code, Bagmati development, criminal procedure, land transaction, civil service and sexual violence against women bills among others. A bill related to contempt of court was also registered. However, without this act being passed the cases related to contempt of court are being handled as per the Supreme Court Act. The bills were prepared in response to the pressure from concerned sectors.