The contentious Land Acquisition Bill, 2015, which aims to alter the 2013 Act brought in by the previous UPA regime, continues to elude Parliament passage.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the Bill, headed by BJP veteran SS Ahluwalia, has been given yet another extension, until the first week of the Monsoon session, which is slated to begin in July-end.

This is the sixth extension for the panel, which was set up in May 2015 to examine the Bill after it was opposed by several political parties, including allies of the ruling BJP.

The Bill seeks, among other things, to remove the consent clause for acquiring land for five purposes — industrial corridors, public-private projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence.

More time sought

Ahluwalia, who moved a resolution in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, sought more time for the JPC, as the panel’s term was to end on Wednesday (March 16) the last day of the first part of the Budget session.

While Congress, Left and Trinamool Congress members wanted to know why another extension was being sought, it is learnt that the panel wanted more time to finalise its report, as many States had not yet submitted details on the clause related to compensation.

The panel, which met on Monday, decided to seek more time as several States had not furnished details on the status of land acquisition proceedings that have lapsed or may lapse in terms of Section 24(2) of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

Compensation fight

Incidentally, the 2013 law had become applicable for national highway projects from January 2015, leading to a number of disputes cropping up as affected land owners were seeking higher compensation.

Section 24(I) of the new law makes land owners eligible for higher compensation, where land proceedings have been initiated as per the earlier provisions.

The Bill has been on a roller coaster ride with the Centre thrice issuing an ordinance. However, after the third ordinance lapsed on August 31, 2015, the government decided against issuing it for the fourth time. Instead, on August 28, it issued a ‘statutory order’ to include 13 Central Acts, such as the National Highway and Railways Acts, to extend benefits to those whose land was acquired under land law.

comment COMMENT NOW