Land bill: Parliament panel gets 4 more days to submit

The Joint Committee of Parliament examining the land acquisition bill on Monday got an extension of four more days to submit its report on the controversial legislation. At a recent meeting of the Committee, it was decided to seek two more days' extension till August 5 to submit its report. But since the panel could not meet for two days following the demise of former President A P J Abdul Kalam, it was decided to seek the extension till August 7.

A motion seeking a fresh extension was moved by committee chairman S S Ahluwalia of BJP in Lok Sabha, amid din created by Congress members over Lalit Modi controversy and Vyapam scam issues. "That this House do extend time for presentation of the Report of the Joint Committee on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015 up to 7 August, 2015," read the motion which was adopted by a voice vote. The deadline for submission of the report had earlier been extended till August 3.

But several opposition members in the panel feel that August 7 will be too tight a deadline for the committee to complete its task. They want the panel to complete its report by August 9 and table it in Parliament on August 10. "After clause-by-clause consideration and voting on amendments moved by opposition, we need to study the draft report to prepare dissent notes," said a Congress member.