The Hindu : National : Railways, Food Bills approved

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Railways, Food Bills approved

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Parliament passed two Bills on Thursday with the Rajya Sabha approving both by voice vote.

One Bill gives powers to the Railways to acquire land for its projects in different States. The Lok Sabha had earlier passed the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2008.

The second one, the Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2008, seeks to consolidate the laws on quality and standards of food. This was also earlier passed by the Lok Sabha.

Allaying fears that the legislation would permit the Railways to grab land, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said changes to the Railways Act would accelerate acquisition of land for the projects which were held up. He cited a project at Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh which was affected due to the delay in handing over of land by the State.

Members’ apprehension

Earlier, S.S. Ahluwalia (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Moinul Hasan (CPI-M) expressed misgivings about the Bill. Mr. Ahluwalia suggested that the Bill be referred to a select committee as it could affect the livelihood of small farmers, who had been living on small pieces of land for generations. Mr. Hasan said land was a State subject and, therefore, the Bill could be contradictory to the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.

Food Processing Minister Subodh Kant Sahay said the Food Safety and Standards Bill would replace an Ordinance promulgated last month to expedite the appointment of chairperson and members of the Food Authority for ensuring availability of safe and wholesome food. The Bill was intended to remove the inspector raj and would do away with multiplicity of various bodies to regulate food standards.

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