Cabinet likely to take up Land Acquisition Bill tomorrow

Minister of State for Rural Development Lalchand Kataria said the bill has provision for return of the unutilised land. Land Acquisition Act, 1894 has no provision for return of the unutilised land.

Clause 95 of the new bill provides that when any land or part thereof, acquired under this Act remains unutilised for a period of 10 years from the date of taking over the possession, it shall return to the land bank of the appropriate government by reversion, he had informed Parliament.

Sources said the bill was finalised by the Rural Development Ministry incorporating the suggestion of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi who had asked the government to take consent from 80 per cent land owners for purchase of land for the purpose of setting up industries and PPP projects.

"It won't be more than 80 per cent and it won't be less than 67 per cent," was the reply of Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh when asked about the consent clause in the bill.

Sources said Gandhi was not in favour of the Group of Minister's proposal that consent of two-third of "land losers" (from whom land would be purchased) was enough for acquiring land for industries and PPP projects.

The GoM had suggested that the consent clause should be kept at 67 per cent for PPP projects and private projects.

The government had constituted the GoM after some ministers voiced strong reservation against certain provisions of the Bill at the Cabinet meeting.

Earlier, Kataria had informed the Rajya Sabha that the Government intends to introduce the official amendments to the LARR Bill, 2011 (Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill) in the Lok Sabha in the Winter Session of Parliament.