Telangana Assembly passes bill on land acquisition

The Telangana Legislative Assembly today passed several bills, including one on land acquisition amid protests by opposition Congress and TDP members.
Legislative Affairs Minister T Harish Rao, who moved the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Telangana Amendment) Bill, 2016, said the bill is for government projects and not for private ventures.
"If it is SEZ, if it is a private industry, we will go by 2013 Act (made by parliament)," Harish Rao said.
The bill would provide a fair deal to land owners, he said.
Responding to Opposition Leader (Congress) K Jana Reddy's contention that the Assembly cannot pass the bill if it is an amendment to the 2013 land acquisition act, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the state government has the power to make the act under Article 254 of the Constitution.

Several states in the country have already passed such acts because the 2013 act was passed by the then Congress-led government "without mind being applied to it", Rao said.

He also hit out at opposition parties and others over their protests against land acquisition for Mallanna Sagar project in the state.
Congress MLA T Jeevan Reddy said the bill should benefit those affected by land acquisition and that it should stand legal scrutiny.
Taking the views of farmers in making the bill, BJP floor leader G Kishan Reddy said it can be referred to a Select Committee.
TDP floor leader A Revant Reddy claimed that the bill was being passed with retrospective effect of prior to the formation of Telangana.

The other bills passed during the day included VAT amendment bill, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (second amendment) bill and the Telangana Acts (Repealing) bill.