Thursday, September 8, 2011

New Land Acquisition Bill

Questions were often being raised with regard to the utility in present times of the 100-year-old act for land acquisition. Several efforts were made to change it, but those efforts could not take concrete shape.
The United Progressive Alliance government ruling at the federal level has taken a strong initiative in this direction. The draft of the Land Acquisition Bill was approved in the union cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on 5 September. Four major amendments have been made in it. The compensation for land acquired in urban areas has been made twice the market rate, while the same in rural areas has been made four times the market rate, whereas the National Development Council had recommended making it six times the market rate.
New Provisions
Projects linked to railways, canals, and power has been kept out of the bill's purview. It has also been provided that cultivable and irrigated land will not be acquired, and the same amount of land of the concerned district would be developed after acquiring. One important provision is also that if the acquired land is not developed within the stipulated time limit, the land would not be returned to farmers. Such land would be given back to state land authority.
The new provisions would also be applicable to past acquired land under dispute. Pressure from politicians and industrialists has also been paid attention to while preparing the draft of the bill. The stands of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Bannerjee and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati have especially come to the fore. Mayawati had already prepared the draft of a separate bill, and she wanted it to be adopted at the national level. This did not become possible for several reasons.
Blows to State and Federal Governments
In fact, acquisition of land has become a sensitive issue. Agitations by landowners and farmers with regard to it and court verdicts have also dealt severe blows to the state and federal governments. Acquisitions were cancelled in many areas. The situation had become serious due to highhanded behavior of land mafia and state governments. Therefore, the necessity for a new law was being felt. The bill is yet to be discussed at length. We would also have to pay attention to interests of farmers and development works in it.

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