'Discussions on changes to Land Act before next Parl session'

The proposed amendments to the Land Acquisition Act will be discussed with all stakeholders before the Winter Session of Parliament and the government will not compromise on resettlement issues, Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.
"I understand your problems related to the Land Acquisition Act, we will discuss it with all the stakeholders before the Parliament Session. We will not comprise on the issue of resettlement and rehabilitation," Gadkari said in his address at the National Housing Convention.
The ministry has suggested a number of amendments that will water down provisions such as mandatory consent of at least 70 per cent locals for acquiring land for PPP projects, and 80 per cent for private projects.

Highlighting the potential of rural housing, Gadkari said that the industry should tap this potential.
He also asked the housing industry to co-operate with the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the preservation of the ecology.
"Housing is an important sector, it is a priority area, together we can tap the market potential, we have create an equilibrium, we should have an integrated approach, there is great potential in rural housing as well," he said.

The minister added that the cost of construction of houses should come down so that more people can buy houses.
At present, only 1 per cent of the country's population can buy over Rs 10 lakh houses.

Earlier in the day, Gadkari, who also holds the charge of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said the government will launch Rs 2 lakh crore highway projects this year.
"We have cleared bottlenecks. We have cleared projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Now this year we will launch projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore," Gadkari said addressing the annual convention of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).