The first step in this direction has been taken by Union Urban Affairs Minister Ram Jethmalani himself. The minister on Friday shot off letters to each of the 45 MPs of the standing committee, appealing them to agree to the repeal of ULCRA urgently. The first meeting of the standing committee chaired by Haryana Lok Dal MP K S Sangwan is scheduled for July 22.

``The Government is committed to repealing the Urban Land Ceiling Act. This is not a new or novel move of the present government. The previous government too had decided to do the same thing in November 1997 but could not carry out its decision. The decision is perfectly rational and in public interest,'' the letter says.

The letteradds: ``I have to request you to clear the repealing bill at your first meeting so that it can be passed during the current sitting of Parliament. Any delay will seriously hinder the performance of our promise to construct two million houses this year. Almost four months have already gone by.''

The letter seeks to educate the members about the rationale behind the repeal of ULCRA by referring to the National Housing Policy approved by Parliament in August 1994 after a national debate of nearly eight years. ``Referring to the unprecedented rise in land prices, which made houses totally unaffordable, it (National Housing Policy) observed that the effective operation of the land market had been affected by the existing legal and regulatory framework.''

According to Jethmalani, the proposed repeal has been widely acclaimed as a measure which would bring down land prices and help the poor acquire or rent accommodation at affordable prices.