Patna, April 2: The Bihar government today introduced amendments in its much-vaunted Lokayukta and land survey bills within three months of their passage in the state legislature, triggering sharp criticism from the Opposition about its “efficiency” in formulating the important legislations.

The amendment has redefined the word “kuprasashan (bad administration)”, empowering the Lokayukta to recommend revision in the action taken against certain officials if it is found that the decisions taken by them were more errors of judgement than being part of illegal gratification.

The land survey legislation too underwent amendment. The land settlement officer will be chosen from the Bihar Administrative Service rather than from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) as laid down in the original legislation.

With absolute majority, the government succeeded in getting the amendment bills passed through voice vote but the process drew sharp criticism from the Opposition. “Why did the government bring the two important legislations in such haste?” leader of Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui said. “The chief minister (Nitish Kumar) described the legislation as historic and tried to earn a lot of credit for what he described as his government’s innovative ventures.”

Outside the House also, legislators cutting across party lines sounded critical of the government for introducing amendments in the legislations within three months of their approval by the House.

“Nitish Kumar had been deliberating on the Lokayukta and land survey and settlement bills for a long time before the government tabled them in the Assembly in the first week of December last year,” a ruling party legislator said. “Presenting the amendments today clearly suggests that the government functionaries did not give needed the time and thought in drafting the original legislations.”

Energy minister Vijendra Yadav tabled the Lokayukta amendment bill while land revenue minister Ramai Ram did the same with the land survey amendment bill.

Nitish, speaking on the original Lokayukta bill on the day of its approval on December 7, had described it as a “historic weapon to enable the political class to wriggle out from the crisis of credibility”. Several Opposition members had then requested the government “not to force” through the important legislation.

Though minuscule in number, the Opposition’s fear that the “haste” in adopting the legislations might leave them incomplete and force the government to invite amendments has come true.