Land Acquisition Bill tabled in Parliament

Moneycontrol Bureau

The much-anticipated upgrade on India's antiquated land acquisition laws was tabled today in Parliament. The rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) provisions will be applicable to the entire project area, only 5% of irrigated, multi-crop land can be acquired and highways have been excluded from the purview of the bill.
The current parliamentary session ends on Friday and the bill is unlikely to be passed before parliament reconvenes later this year.
Compulsory land acquisition for the public good is a contentious issue as crowded India seeks to industrialize, with major factories, housing and transport projects held up by conflicts over land.
The new bill proposes punishment for offenses by companies and company directors, other executives can be prosecuted for any wrongdoings.  
Farmers complain they are not adequately compensated for their land, while companies are wary of making large investments for fear that courts will strip them of their holdings. According to the bill, the collector will use higher value of the land while fixing award. The minimum value of the land will be determined by the district collector. The government can temporarily acquire arable land for three years.
The bill has broadly been praised by industry for setting clearer rules, but some in the private sector say a proposal to pay farmers multiples of market value for their land will push project costs up too far. It suggests setting up land acquisition authority.
The state and national highways have been excluded from the new land bill purview. The provisions of the bill will be applicable to private companies and public private projects.
It also proposes to develop an equivalent area of culturable wasteland, if multi-crop land is acquired.
The bill also proposes to include provision for creation of a land bank in states to keep the acquired land with it if it is not used in 10 years by the concerned party.
Provision in the first draft was to return the land to original owner if it was not used in five years for the purpose for which it is acquired.
First created in 2007, the bill would replace an 1894 law written by the British.
The bill has until now been held up by political wrangling. The government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been criticised for failing to push through more quickly this and other reforms seen as vital for driving growth. (With inputs from agencies)