Bill on urban planning deferred

KIGALI - Members of Parliament, yesterday, adjourned discussions on a bill on Urban Planning and Building in Rwanda. The decision was reached after a motion by the Deputy Speaker of Chamber of Deputies, Denis Polisi, following a number of disputed details in the draft law. By the time of the dismissal, the House had discussed and vetted 24 articles of the draft Law presented by the Minister of Infrastructure, Vincent Karega. The majority of concerns were based on the implementation process, if the draft is passed into law as it is. “We should consider some areas that may later lead to disputes, especially on demarcations, and provide room for amendment in the future,” observed MP Alfred Kayiranga. Some of the disputed Articles include; Articles 12, 14, 15, 20, and 24, whose prescriptions raised concerns from members of the House. Article 12 stipulates guidelines for urban planning while Article 14 states the obligation to conform to master plans. Other areas disputed included Article 16 on urban planning operations, article 20 concerning requirements for residential buildings to have lighting and ventilation openings and Article 24 that obliges landlords to consult construction professionals. Following increasing disputes, the Deputy Speaker moved a motion asking the Speaker to adjourn the discussion until the draft was reviewed. “We should suspend the discussions to give room for a thorough review. Disputable details should be reviewed in the entire draft before bringing it back for further discussions,” Polisi said. His suggestion was unanimously approved. Ends

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Bill on urban planning deferred