JOIN USLS okays land bill with nine changes
The controversial amendment to the Land Acquisition Bill sailed through the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after an acrimonious debate that culminated in a walkout by the Congress and other parties, and also brought to fore NDA constituent Shiv Sena’s differences with the proposals.
The only face-saver for the government was that it could get the Shiv Sena to abstain rather than vote against the bill.
The government pushed the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill using its brute majority after the nine official amendments moved by it failed to win the support of the Opposition and alliance partners Shiv Sena and Swabhimani Paksha.
The bill now goes to the Rajya Sabha where the government is in minority. The Opposition is rearing to embarrass the ruling alliance by insisting that the bill be referred to a select committee for scrutiny.
The bill seeks to replace the ordinance promulgated by the Centre on December 31 to amend the law enacted by the then UPA government in 2013. Interestingly, both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi were not present in the Lok Sabha when the bill was passed.
The conciliatory approach of the government was apparent as Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh told members that several suggestions made by them were incorporated in the bill. “We are willing to accept any more suggestions the opposition has to offer,” he said. But the Opposition members were in no mood to oblige.
Singh’s assurances on leaving the social impact assessment of land to be acquired to the state governments also did not find favour with the Opposition.
The official amendments moved included limiting the industrial corridor to 1 km on both sides of the highways and railway lines, compulsory employment to one member of the affected family of farm labourers, hearing and addressing grievances at district level and acquisition of bare minimum of land for projects.
The amendments also include dropping of exemption to “social infrastructure” projects as members expressed apprehension that individuals may use this clause to open colleges and hospitals which are actually business models.
On a clause that requires return of land to the owner if the project it has been acquired for is not completed in five years, the minister said the time consumed by court cases and injunctions will not be counted.
The Opposition had moved 52 amendments, which were either negated or were not pressed for by the members.
Raju Shetti of the Swabhimani Paksha, a constituent of the NDA, even moved an amendment on consent clause terming its removal anti-farmer.
Though the BJD withdrew one amendment following the government’s efforts to bring it on board, the party staged a walkout saying it could not participate in voting as all its concerns have not been addressed.
The government contended that several states, including Samajwadi Party-ruled Uttar Pradesh and the then Congress-ruled states of Maharashtra and Haryana, had demanded changes to the land acquisition act passed by the UPA.