To ease norms for land acquisition, no environmental clearance (EC) will be required as per a decision taken by the Central government.
Not the least, the draft for the Land Acquisition Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on February 24, was conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after he sworn in as the Prime Minister on May 26 last year.
Sources said in August last year Modi had decided to amend the Act, which was followed by a circular that freed the acquisition process from environment certificate.
“The EC granted for a project or activity under the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification 2006, as amended, is site specific. While <g data-gr-id="21">full</g> land acquisition may not be a pre-requisite for the consideration of the case for EC, there should be some credible document to show the status of land acquisition,” the circular states.
On December 29, 2014, the government had recommended promulgation of an ordinance, making significant changes in the Land Acquisition Act, including removal of consent clause for acquiring land for five areas of industrial corridors, PPP projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence.