There will be considerable progress in land acquisitions in the district in the next six months.
District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla on Friday told The Hindu that the land acquisition team had been strengthened for the purpose.
There are now six special tahsildars for land acquisition supported by efficient staff. The district has about 100 projects ranging from small roads to major projects such as Kochi Metro involving land acquisition.
“Compliance with legal mandatory clauses in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARA) has caused a few months’ lag in the progress of some projects. However, there will be considerable progress in the next six months,” he said.
The changes brought about by LARA include making Social Impact Analysis (SIA) mandatory and limited scope for advance possession of land for development projects. However, Ernakulam was the first district to initiate SIA ahead of development projects, including the acquisition for Kochi Metro, he said.
