Standard Post with Image

New Land Acquisition Act mandates reforms like Compensation limits

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">India&#39;s new land acquisition Act came into force on Wednesday, mandating compensation limits and the resettlement and rehabilitation of affected families, a critical reform aimed at making the process fairer and more transparent.</span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">However, the amendment of 13 different laws across half a dozen sectors over the year will be important for the successful implementation of the legislation.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">&quot;Today New land acquisition Act mandates reforms like compensation limit for affected families, the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 comes into force. The Land Acquisition Act 1894 stands repealed and cannot be invoked in any other acquisition proceedings from this day forth,&quot; rural development minister Jairam Rmesh said. </span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">According to Ramesh, all key political parties are agreed on the implementation of the law and therefore amendments in related Acts will take place in due course, irrespective of which party comes to power after the next election.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">&quot;I have written to the concerned ministries including coal, mines and roads to bring about necessary amendments in the laws in the next one year so that the provisions of and resettlement could be implemented,&quot; he said. </span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Some sections of industry are critical of the new law as they feel the process will take even longer and lead to a steep rise in the price of land. Clashes over land being taken away from farmers for setting up factories and other projects, especially in West Bengal, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, threatened to bring development activity to a virtual standstill, forcing the government to come up with legislation that would ensure equitable compensation to farmers.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Among the important laws that need to be amended are the Coal Bearing Area Acquisition Act of 1957, the National Highway Act of 1956 and the Land Acquisition Mines Act of 1885.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The new land acquisition Act was passed by Parliament during the monsoon session last year and was thereafter notified. However, the rules governing the Act will be finalized by February 15, having been notified in the gazette for formal public consultations. </span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The rules governing the Act will lay down the framework for social impact assessments and obtaining the consent of affected families. It replaces the more-than-century-old Land Acquisition Act of 1894 by establishing new rules for compensation as well as resettlement and rehabilitation.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The most important feature of the law is that it requires developers to get the consent of up to 80% of people whose land needs to acquired for private projects and 70% of the land owners in the case of public private partnership projects. </span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Source-On Request</span></span></span></p>