Headlines
President says land act 'refined'; Hazare, Congress oppose ordinance
New Delhi, Feb 23
President Pranab Mukherjee
Monday said the land acquisition act had been "refined" to minimise some
procedural difficulties in getting land for critical projects but the
Congress and some parties conveyed their firm opposition to the measure
and activist Anna Hazare launched a protest.
The president said
in his address to the two houses of parliament at the start of budget
session that the National Democratic Alliance government attaches
paramount importance to safeguarding interests of farmers and families
affected by land acquisition.
The Narendra Modi government had
brought the ordinance on land acquisition in December last year but the
move has met stiff opposition on the issue from Congress and some other
parties.
The opening day of the session saw some political
parties and activists conveying their firm opposition to the changes
brought in the act that was passed by the previous United Progressive
Alliance government.
The land ordinance was among six ordinances
whose copies were tabled by the government Monday in the Lok Sabha.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told reporters outside
parliament that every ordinance will be discussed on the floor of the
house while asserting the land ordinance was not anti-farmer.
Referring
to the ordinance in his speech, the president said that the Right to
Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation
and Resettlement Act has been "suitably refined".
This has been
done to minimise certain procedural difficulties in acquisition of land
required for some critical infrastructure projects and for creation of
basic amenities like rural housing, schools and hospitals, particularly
in remote areas, he said, adding utmost care has been taken to protect
the interest of farmers, including their compensation entitlements.
Hazare,
who led an anti-corruption movement against the previous UPA
government, Monday launched an agitation against the ordinance at Jantar
Mantar here, terming the measure as "undemocratic" and demanding its
withdrawal.
He said that political parties can join his agitation but not share the stage with him.
Activist
Medha Patkar termed the ordinance as "anti-people" and said they would
begin a massive agitation Tuesday which will be joined by National
Alliance of People's Movements, All India Union of Forest Working People
and the Ekta Parishad.
"We will launch an agitation in the
entire country. We do not want any discussions or clarification, but a
complete repeal of the ordinance," she said, adding everyone, including
parties, were invited for the agitation.
The ordinance removes
consent clause for acquiring land for five categories - defence, rural
infrastructure, affordable housing, industrial corridors and
infrastructure projects including Public Private Partnership (PPP)
projects where the central government owns the land.
The existing
act had required consent of 80 percent of land owners for private
projects and of 70 percent of land owners for PPP projects.
The
2013 law also provided that unused land had to be returned five years
after acquisition but the ordinance states that the period after which
unutilised land will need to be returned will be five years, or any
period specified at the time of setting up the project, whichever is
later.
While the act excluded the acquisition of land for private
hospitals and private educational institutions from its purview, the
ordinance removes this restriction.
The act was applicable for
the acquisition of land for private companies but the ordinance changes
this to acquisition for "private entities".
Opposition parties, led by the Congress, Monday slammed the government over the ordinance.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi termed the ordinance as anti-people and anti-farmer.
"We will agitate. Government must realize that the essence of democracy is to take everybody along," he said.
Janata
Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav said the government talks about
development for all "but they are working only for some industrialists".