Upset over the re-promulgation of the land acquisition ordinance when the Bill to replace it is under parliamentary scrutiny, some Opposition members on the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the draft legislation are toying with the idea of “boycotting” it. At least three members from different parties confirmed that they were in touch with one another and would take a decision on whether or not to participate in the work next week.
“Both options — to boycott or to continue — are on the table,” a member said. But the Trinamool Congress has decided to fight it from within.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in Hyderabad on Tuesday that the party was actively considering “withdrawing” from the committee. Mohammad Salim, the party member on the panel, said the Opposition members were in consultation with one another as the re-promulgation of the ordinance at this juncture was unacceptable. The CPI(M) would take a final decision at its central committee meeting here in the coming weekend, after consulting other Left parties, he said. “We will oppose the Land Bill 200 per cent, but boycotting parliamentary committee is not the solution. We will not allow the Bill. We will fight it every step,” Derek O’Brien, Trinamool member on the committee, said in a late-night statement.
Jairam Ramesh, one of the Congress members, under whose watch as Union Minister the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act was passed in 2013, told The Hindu : “I believe that the third promulgation is an insult to the select committee and makes a complete mockery of its work.”
Janata Dal (United) member Sharad Yadav was non-committal, saying a decision would be taken on his return to Delhi on Friday.
Here are the six important facts you need to know about the Land Bill. Source: prsindia.org
| 1 | The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 seeks to Amend the Act of 2013 (LARR Act, 2013). |
| 2 | The Bill creates five special categories of land use: 1. defence, 2. rural infrastructure, 3. affordable housing, 4. industrial corridors, and 5. infrastructure projects including Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects where the central government owns the land |
| 3 | The Bill exempts the five categories from provisions of the LARR Act, 2013 which requires the consent of 80 per cent of land ownersto be obtained for private projects and that of 70 per cent of land owners for PPP projects. |
| 4 | The Bill allows exemption for projects in these five categories from requiring Social Impact Assessment be done to identify those affected and from the restrictions on the acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land imposed by LARR Act 2013. |
| 5 | The Bill brings provisions for compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement under other related Acts such as the National Highways Act and the Railways Act in consonance with the LARR Act. |
| 6 | The Bill changes acquisition of land for private companies mentioned in LARR Act, 2013 to acquisition for ‘private entities’. A private entity could include companies, corporations and nonprofit organisations. |
What does the Ordinance mean ? | ||||
 | For Industries | | | For Farmers |
Ordinance envisages projects in defence, rural housing and industrial corridors as exempt from seeking 80% approval from affected persons. | Farmers' compensation will remain the same — four times the market rate for urban areas, and twice for rural areas. | |||
Private hospitals, educational institutions and hotels will be included under definition of public purpose, and exempt from SIA. | 13 statutes that were previously exempted from the rigours of compensation have now been included. | |||
The Ordinance aims to make land acquisition easier for industries, as delays in approvals have restricted growth in industry and infrastructure, according to stakeholders. | Multi-crop land can be acquired for five purposes without consent of affected families: national security, defence, rural infrastructure, industrial corridors and social infrastructure |
