Parliament panel on land bill to finalise its report by mid-July

Amid uncertainty over the fate of the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, the joint committee on the land bill has decided to prepare its report, including the new amendments to the bill, by mid-July.

Amid uncertainty over the fate of the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, the joint committee on the land bill has decided to prepare its report, including the new amendments to the bill, by mid-July.

The panel, where the NDA and its supporters are in majority, laid down the roadmap in its meeting on Tuesday, brushing aside the Opposition’s suggestions for more consultations and field-visits.

Panel chairman, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia told the committee members that the government would submit its fresh list of amendments on July 13 and the panel would adopt its report by July 15 — leaving almost no room for any further extension.

“The message is clear that everything can be decided on the basis of voting with the NDA in majority,” said a panel member. The cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs will meet on Wednesday to fix the schedule of the monsoon session. The Congress and Left parties have already threatened to disrupt the session over the Lalit Modi UK travel documents controversy.

On Tuesday, former RSS leader Govindacharya deposed before the panel and demanded that the farmers must retain rights to reject any acquisition bid. Pitching for more power in the hands of the gram sabhas, Govindacharya said that a district collector, who will lead the acquisition process, could not be the same person to whom farmers will air their grievances.

Leader of NDA ally, Maharashtra’s Swabhimani Paksh, Raju Shetty, demanded that corporates should not be allowed to change the purpose for which land is acquired. He pointed out that land for industries have been turned into residential plots in many cases.