New law to give states say in land buys

To maintain a fine balance between allies’ pressure and investors’ sentiments, the UPA government will let states decide their own limits on acquiring land for private projects. HT reports.

To maintain a fine balance between allies’ pressure and investors’ sentiments, the UPA government will let states decide their own limits on acquiring land for private projects.

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In its ambitious Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, the Centre has bypassed recommendations of a parliamentary panel and will give states the power to fix their own ceilings.

The draft bill prepared by UPA-1 ran into a hurdle over the states’ role in buying land. UPA-2 waited till 2011 to bring the bill in Parliament as ally Trinamool Congress didn’t want it before the assembly polls in Bengal.

The Jairam Ramesh-led rural development ministry now aims to have the bill passed in the coming monsoon session of Parliament, official sources said.

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool — that heads the government in West Bengal, has a blanket objection to the states’ role in acquiring land for private industries. The SP, however, wants states to have the power to acquire land to help set up industries.