Extend deadline to submit suggestions on Land Bill: Andolan

Left Front-backed farmers' organisations today asked the Centre to extend the June 8 deadline for submitting suggestions on the Land Acquisition Bill, saying it was "very short time" and all stakeholders needed to be taken on board.
Speaking to mediapersons here, leaders of Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, a union of various farmers' bodies, said they will submit, in the next two days, their objections to the Bill before the 30-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) set up last month to hear views in this regard.
"Government has given only 15 days to submit memorandum on the (amendment) Bill. We think it is a very short time. The issue is very wide. The committee should visit all states, take evidence from all," General Secretary of All India Kisan Sabha (36 Canning Lane), an Andolan organisation, Hannan Mollah said.

"Let whatever time it (collecting views) takes, take, the committee should consult all. Two years were spent before the 2013 Act was formulated. So, government should not bulldoze voices of farmers wrapping up JPC procedures in just one month," he said.
Mollah said organisations attached to the Andolan have studied all 15 clauses of the amendment Bill and added majority of them were "anti-farmer".
Amongst their objections include, removal of consent and social impact assessment clauses from the 2013 Act. They also insisted that the condition in the Act as per which land which is not used for five years is to be returned to farmers, should stay.