New land acquisition bill okayed by BJP; likely to become law

The Land Acquisition Bill, which gives land owners a much bigger say in the acquisition of their land by the state for industrial projects, is likely to be introduced in the current session of Parliament.

The government said today that it obtained a consensus on the bill at an all-party meeting today, with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the main opposition party at the centre, accepting its proposals.

"We have reached a broad consensus on the Land Acquisition Bill," parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath and the BJP's Sushma Swaraj, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, jointly announced after the meeting.

The government agreed to a key demand of the BJP, which had suggested that instead of acquisition, the land could be leased to developers so that its ownership would remain with the original possessors (usually farmers), providing them with a regular income.

Another key change that the government has accepted will allow states to enact their own law, as the leasing of land is a state subject.

Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said the government has agreed with the major issues raised by the BJP.

Another major demand of the BJP was ensuring that all owners who had sold their land after 5 September 2011, when the bill was first proposed, should also get compensation.

''We agreed on the issue that there was a lot of speculative buying of land after [this date]. So we are working on a provision to ensure that the original owners of such land also get some share of the compensation,'' Ramesh said.

On a demand by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) pertaining to the rights of tenants who actually till the land, Ramesh said, ''Though this issue is very Bengal-specific as the 'Barga' (tenancy) system is limited to that state, we have said we would examine this.

''In any case, the state government can always improve upon the law.''

''All political parties are agreed on the point that the bill should be passed in this session,'' he said, adding, ''Now all their suggestions will be discussed on the floor of the house.''

Ramesh admitted that the bill has been attacked by land rights activists as well as industry. ''So we have tried to take a middle path.''

Under the latest bill, the government needs to get consent from 80 per cent of the owners for acquiring land for any project.

The bill has been strongly criticised by industrialists, who say a small minority can thwart the already difficult process of acquiring land in India.