The Land Acquisition
Amendment Bill has passed the Lok sabha test and the Land Bill ordinance is
soon going to be passed by the PM. With all the turbulence stating of
amendments has brought to the country, the real estate sector is also touched
upon immensely.
Vikas Raj Sharma, Managing
Director, Cosmic Group, is optimistic about the developments which have been
tabled in the Lok Sabha. The existing Act keeps 13 acts for Land Acquisition
for Central Government Projects out of the purview. These are applicable to
the projects of national highways, metro rail, atomic energy projects,
electricity related projects, etc. The amendment stated brings all these under
the purview of this Act for the purpose of compensation, rehabilitation and
resettlement.
Vikas Raj Sharma is hopeful
about the changes the Bill is going to bring about. He said, “Modi-led
government is development-oriented. The proposed changes which include
amendments in compensation and rehabilitation will surely improve the situation
of the displaced.”
A fast track process
has also been allowed for defence and defence production, rural infrastructure
including electrification, affordable housing, industrial corridors and
infrastructure projects including projects taken up under Public Private
Partnership mode where ownership of the land continues to be vested with the
government.
Now multi-crop
irrigated land can be acquired for purposes like national security,
defence, rural infrastructure including electrification, industrial corridors
and building social infrastructure.
Contrary to the above amendments which have brought respite to many
displaced citizens, the following amendment was a setback for many. The
existing Land Acquisition Act has a consent clause for acquiring land which
includes industrial corridors, Public Private Partnership projects, rural
infrastructure, affordable housing and defence. But the stated amendments have
exempted these five categories from the rule of acquitting land.
Social impact
assessment has now been exempted in the Bill tabled in the Lok Sabha.
According to the existing Act, it was mandatory before acquitting land. Another
point of contention is that the existing Act states that land will be given
back to the farmer if it remains unused for five years. But the amendment
stated restricts the condition and states that the land will be returned only
if the specified project on the land fails to complete the deadline. The new
clause has also made government sanction compulsory to prosecute civil
servants, unlike earlier when bureaucrats could be punished if found guilty of
violating any clause of the Land Act.
Vikas Raj Sharma also said, “The consent clause amendments can be
a setback for many awaiting ears. But the national good is the primary
responsibility of all citizens. A never-before like development awaits us all”.
The proposed amendments have come as a mixed bag, offering newer
reliefs but also limiting the reliefs which had been offered in previous bills.
