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Land Acquisition bill - reality check

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Written By srinidhi - 26 February, 2015

Infrastructure Analysis land No Location bill

There are big discussions on blocking the land ordinance bill..ppl who were for it are going against it etc..here is what BJP is saying about it now

more here

So is BJP correct in what they are doing?

Lets take a scanario, Praja had met a railway official about the Tumkur-Davanagere new railway line that was planned. The official said they do not have the necessary land to lay the line as the 'farmers' around Tumkur are demanding exhorbitant money for their land. So the effect of this is we do not have the all important line completed.

So about the 'famers' mentioned, they are mostly land grabbers and opportunists who want to cash in on the announced project. They have fradulantly increased the land price around that area and waiting for the compensation.

How do we deal with this and also protect the genuine interest of farmers?

 

COMMENTS

Defying global logic

murali772 - 19 March, 2015 - 10:47

Whether we are ready to finally accept that, though much can be done to improve farming, it is simply unsustainable for the sector to continue to provide livelihoods to 60% of our population. And whether our farmers’ children can have realistic alternate career opportunities or are destined to be trapped in ever more fragmented, marginal farming. And finally, whether we as a nation at all believe that it is possible to create millions of jobs in manufacturing and services. - - - Once again, the studies, procedures and clearances mandated by the 2013 Act go far beyond what either the US or China follow, requiring a minimum of 50 months for projects to get the go ahead. And that assumes every stage of a complicated series of steps would work like clockwork, without any delays or extensions. Anyone who understands anything about the viability of infrastructure projects knows this is a sure-fire way to make them unviable. - - - - Such provisions may be ideal from the perspective of a certain kind of philosophy, against industrialisation and the post-industrial economy per se, but can hardly be expected to cater to the million plus jobs that India now needs to create every month. As some countries have learnt at great cost — for instance, Greece on the issue of fiscal discipline — we can defy global logic only at our own peril. - - - - - Instead of looking in the rear view mirror at what has not worked in the past, we would be better served to benchmark what works in most of the world. It is incumbent on government now to ensure that compensation is unclogged and front-ended, that infrastructure is expedited and new jobs made visible, that education is reformed to promote employability. If we don’t, counterintuitive as this may sound, some of the worst affected will be India’s farmers.
 
The above are the excerpts from a blog by Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, BJD Lok Sabha MP, in the ToI (for the full text, click here).
 
Quite as he has stated, we can defy global logic only at our peril.
 

the governments' stake

murali772 - 2 April, 2015 - 09:41

@ Syed - referring the third para of your post - When TATA Nano was bundled out of Singur by the Mamta government, after having been promoted by the earlier Marxist government, Karnataka was amongst the many states inviting them over with concessional acreages of land. W Bengal's Marxist government, as much as Karnataka's mix & match government, as also Gujarat's BJP government, all wanted them in their respective states, keeping in view economic and employment growth the project would generate. Even now, we are witness to the tussle between Karnataka and Chandrababu Naidu's Seemandhra over the setting up of Hero/ Honda plant in their respective states, offering all kinds of incentives, including land at concessional rates. As such, more than the industry seeking favours, it's largely the governments that are after them.
 
Besides, if industry seeks land from government, far more than the cost factor, it is because of the uncertainties involved due to the plethora of varied and confusing land transfer rules prevailing across the country. If land transfer could happen like buying any commodity, yes, market forces could prevail, and the government need not be in the picture. 
 

It is outright lie about SWR's defense of delay in project!

kbsyed61 - 2 April, 2015 - 03:57

Sri,

We know how truthful and sincere SWR is about the projects in Karnataka. The new land law was only passed in 2013/14 and hardly there was any project that got effected by it. SWR is lying outright about delay due to the new land law. The said project is being delayed much before the new land law was passed.

As far as Industry goes, lets not venerate them more than they deserve. Their sincerity towards nation can be gauge from the fact that the big business chambers had lobbied with present and past governments to delay the strict enforcement on tobacco. They had written letters to govt to not to go ahead with 80% marking on the cigarette packs.

If the industry is committed, they will pay the fair value to the land owners and put up their industry/business. Many do it and many would like govt to get them cheap. If game is played fair and just, they don't need the covering of land acquisition law. If everything should be per market rate, why not the land at market value without forcible acquisition?

its not just the compensation..

srinidhi - 4 April, 2015 - 23:29

good read in rediff:

Farmers are inextricably tied to the land. It defines their existence.

Deprived of it, they have little else to fall back on for their livelihood. When they part with land, they lose their identity and standing in the society.

more here

Even transfer of funds is botched up..hopefully schemes like jan dhan, where money is directly deposited to accounts of farmers will help!

It's a farce

MaheshK - 5 April, 2015 - 01:42

What BJP is saying is a complete farce. They are showing dream world. If educated are believing this, there is some serious problem in the thinking. The govt knows that most farmers are gullible. Here is my question. Why the fertile lands? Why not those dry / arid lands that is there vacant? If you start taking away the fertile lands, are we going to import food?  It will be another big scam to make money by imports. SWR is just tiny / small example. It’s not the farmers, it’s the dalals and netas who will be deciding.

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