Activists still not happy with land bill, say amendments cosmetic

The central government might have got the contentious land acquisition bill cleared in the Lok Sabha, but activists on Wednesday described the amendments therein as "mere cosmetic" changes. The industry, however, welcomed the bill.

The new bill seeks to replaces an ordinance promulgated in December last year which had amended certain provisions of the 2013 act passed during the UPA rule.

The key points which were removed from the earlier law related to the consent clause and the social impact assessment study.

The consent clause provided for 70-80 percent of those dependent on the land to agree to its acquisition and the social impact assessment clause entailed carrying out a study to see the environmental impact and rehabilitation of people displaced.

The central government effected nine fresh amendments in the bill passed on Tuesday, but activists say none of them addresses these basic concerns.

"The amendments do not address the key concerns of doing away of the consent clause and the social impact assessment study," Madhuresh Kumar, national convenor of the National Alliance of People's Movements, told IANS.

Some of the amendments added like compulsory employment to one member of a farm labourer's family were already there in the original act, he claimed, adding that "nothing has been addressed".

According to P.V. Rajagopal of the Ekta Parishad, doing away with the consent clause means the government can just "bulldoze" its way around. "This is a dangerous trend."

He said the amendment providing for compulsory employment to a farm labourer's family doesn't make sense.

"There are so many people eking out a livelihood from a piece of land. So you render thousands of people unemployed and provide jobs to only a few. And what is the level of employment you are guaranteeing," Rajagopal wondered.

"A decent farmer will end up as a security guard in some industry," he said.

He demanded a "radical change" in the bill and said government amendments were cosmetic.

The bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, faces a tough test in the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in minority.

Most activists said they hope the upper house manages to stall the bill.

Ramesh Sharma, another land rights activist, told IANS that the central government has put the onus of the social impact assessment on the state governments, which is not right.

He also said that in case of litigation there should be provisions providing legal aid to poor people when they fight cases against the rich industry bodies.

Thousands of activists had gathered in the capital in the last week of February to protest against the new land bill.

The industry has, however, welcomed the bill.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said: "It is heartening to note that the new amendments take into consideration the interest of all stake holders, especially the land owners."

"Industry welcomes some of the key provisions of the new bill including setting up of State Land Bank Corporations and providing for acquisition up to one km on either side of roads and highways," it said in a statement.

"The amended land bill, if approved in the Rajya Sabha, would be a major boon to the infrastructure goals of the nation. This will accelerate economic growth, create millions of new jobs and improve living standards of every Indian."