3/7/2015

BankersAdda:Ashortnoteon"LandAcquisitionBill"...!!!

Ashortnoteon"LandAcquisitionBill"...!!!
Land Acquisition means acquiring land for public purpose (constructing
health/educationalinstitutionsorforanyotherwelfarescheme)andpayinga
governmentfixedcompensationtocoverlossesincurredbythelandowners.
Till 2013, whenever government acquired a land, it was done under Land
AcquisitionAct1894

The procedure followed was cumbersome and costly, often resulting in

inordinate delay in land acquisition, and peopleviewed the act as draconian
(unusually harsh law). In genuine projects also, there was a considerable
difference between the market value of the property and the value that the
landacquisitionofficerpaysthelandowners.
In 2007, UPA introduced Amendment Bill and Rehabilitation and
ResettlementBillintheparliamenttoreplacethisLandAcquisitionAct1984.
But,bothbillslapsedin2009(werenotpassed).
Finally in 2013 UPA Government passed Right to Fair Compensation and
Transparency in Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Act
(RFCTLAARAct)2013.ItcameintoforceonJanuary1,2014.
InMay2014,BJPledNDAcameintopowerandtookoverthegovernment.
ItdecidedtomakeamendmentstotheBillpassedbyUPAGovernment.
Theseamendmentsare:
Itbringsbackthe13lawsthatwereexcludedbyUPA
GovernmentwhilepassingtheRFCTLAARAct2013.The13
lawscontainprovisionsforcompensation,rehabilitationand
resettlement.
Itremovestheprovisionofconsentforacquiringlandsfor5
purposes:

1. Industrialcorridors
2. Publicprivatepartnership(PPP)projects
3. Ruralinfrastructure
4. Affordablehousing
5. Defense

Ordinance also exempts these 5 type of projects from Social Impact

Assessment and acquisition of irrigated multicropped land (earlier the 5
aboveareasconcerningprojectscouldnotacquirebeyondalimit).
RFCTLAARAct2013saidthatifacquiredlandremainsunutilized
for5years,itshouldbereturnedbacktotheowner.However,the
ordinancesaysthatiftheacquiredlandremainsunutilizedfor5
years,orANYPERIODTHATISSPECIFIEDATTHE
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3/7/2015

BankersAdda:Ashortnoteon"LandAcquisitionBill"...!!!

STARTINGOFTHEPROJECT(whicheverislater),thenthe
landwillbereturnedtoitsowner.
IfthepossessionofacquiredlandunderAct1984isnottakenfor
reasons,thenthenewlawwillbeapplied.
AccordingtoRFCTLAARAct2013landcanbeacquiredbyany
privateCOMPANY.But,accordingtoordinance,landcanbe
acquiredbyanyprivateENTITY.Aprivateentityisanyentity
otherthangovernmententity,andincludesproprietorship,
partnership,nonprofitorganizations,company,corporations,or
others.
IfanyoffenceiscommittedbygovernmentofficialsorHeadof
Departments,thens/hecannotbeprosecutedwithouttheprior
sanctionofthegovernment.
PrimeMinisterModileadingthegovernmentfromthefronthaddirectedallhis
MPs to aggressively defend the Bill and not be affected by the oppositions'
charges.
However facing serious oppositions, maximum resistance and protests the
government has said that it will initiate talks with the opposition parties on
the controversial Land Acquisition Bill, after Union Finance Minister
ArunJaitleyreturnsfromtheU.S.laterthisweek.
SocialactivistAnnaHazarehasnowannounceda1,100kmfootmarchon
the lines of the historic Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi to put pressure
on the BJP government at the Centre to stay clear of amending Land
AcquisitionAct.
Thedecisionisyettobemade.!!!

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