A thoughtless land bill
18 Oct 2012 9:50 PM GMT
It has been a contentious bill from the start. The Land Acquisition Bill that has been cleared by the empowered Group of Ministers [GoM] has already attracted severe controversy. In recent years many have felt that land acquisition for crucial industrial growth has not been achieved in a rightful manner and land acquired for industry has become a haven for real estate giants, who make huge profits out of crucial tax benefits. Land acquisition itself is a serious issue because many oppose land acquisition by the government, especially agricultural land, for industry to be built by private players. The lessons from West Bengal, where a well-seated government was toppled thanks to disturbingly tawdry land acquisition methods was well within consideration, specially when Mamata Banerjee was a key ally of the UPA II at the centre. Banerjee had come to power thanks to her strong opposition to land acquisition and had constantly pressed for more clarifications and deliberations on the Land Acquisition Bill that was already in preparation at the centre. Issues of ownership, compensation and the need to have a strong deliverable development agenda in affected areas were the key concerns. She was a reason why UPA went slow on it. On her ouster last month, the UPA is now keen to go ahead.
As per the provisions of the new Bill that has been cleared on Tuesday, the government will have to secure the nod of two-thirds of landowners to acquire a patch of land for private/PPP projects. In tribal areas, the acquisition will be possible only with the approval of local institutions of self-governance. This, the government hopes would enshrine the willingness of owners to sell their land and forms a crucial part of the land acquisition amendment bill. Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has clarified that the land that has to acquired through the new Bill is either for public-private-partnership projects or private projects only for public purpose. But what defines public purpose?
The government has created a few checks and balances to ensure that land acquisition does not become a profitable free-for-all. However one cannot be so sure. Land is a fundamental issue in India and literally lakhs are still directly dependent on the patch of land they call their own. From Nandigram to Posco, we have seen how the land issue can cause public outrage and outcry. It is not clear why and for whom the government is so keen to part with land and the fear is that those who want rampant capital inflow would see land a only a matter of transaction.Things are of course more complicated that this, as history has taught us. The same goes for tribal areas as a marauding army of land acquisitors are hand in glove with private developers.
As per the provisions of the new Bill that has been cleared on Tuesday, the government will have to secure the nod of two-thirds of landowners to acquire a patch of land for private/PPP projects. In tribal areas, the acquisition will be possible only with the approval of local institutions of self-governance. This, the government hopes would enshrine the willingness of owners to sell their land and forms a crucial part of the land acquisition amendment bill. Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has clarified that the land that has to acquired through the new Bill is either for public-private-partnership projects or private projects only for public purpose. But what defines public purpose?
The government has created a few checks and balances to ensure that land acquisition does not become a profitable free-for-all. However one cannot be so sure. Land is a fundamental issue in India and literally lakhs are still directly dependent on the patch of land they call their own. From Nandigram to Posco, we have seen how the land issue can cause public outrage and outcry. It is not clear why and for whom the government is so keen to part with land and the fear is that those who want rampant capital inflow would see land a only a matter of transaction.Things are of course more complicated that this, as history has taught us. The same goes for tribal areas as a marauding army of land acquisitors are hand in glove with private developers.
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