Much redrafting needed on land, relief bills

The government’s earlier promise to table bills amending the Land Acquisition Act and a sister one changing the present Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) rules in the monsoon session of Parliament may be hard to keep.

The National Advisory Council (NAC) chaired by Sonia Gandhi, also head of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, has proposed fundamental changes in the proposed legislations, including merging the two instead of having separate laws.

The merged bill is to be tabled in the monsoon session, beginning around mid-July, the government has said.

Officials say the problem is not just that a whole new legislation has to be drafted. It is also that the current R&R bill covers several other areas defining government’s responsibility, that may now have to be covered by a separate legislation.

“The present R&R law covers relief in the case of natural calamities and industrial disasters. How will these be covered if the R&R law is merged with the land acquisition legislation? This is something the government will have to think about,” said Sudha Pillai, member-secretary, Planning Commission.

The NAC has proposed a new set of rules for compensation to be paid to farmers who lose their land to government or private industry, currently undergoing legal vetting.

DISSECTING THE LAND ACQUISITION ACTS