NEW DELHI : The Congress too found lacuna in the 2013 land acquisition law that its five members want it corrected by the joint parliamentary committee (JPC), thereby recommending four times the highest market value of land, irrespective of whether it is in urban or rural areas.
The 2013 Act had mandated a compensation of twice the market value in the urban areas and on a sliding scale of two to four times in rural areas, depending on the land’s distance from a town or city.
The Congress now wants the uniform rate of four times the highest market value, irrespective of urban or rural land.
Five Congress members on the JPC are understood to have written a letter to its chairman S S Ahluwalia that the sliding scale had led to the state governments manipulating the provision, pointing out how different state governments were notifying different multipliers. For instance, Maharashtra was giving just roughly twice the amount in rural areas.
The letter is believed to have cited the Bombay High Court’s observation while setting aside the Maharashtra government’s order, stating that this was an incorrect application of the legislative intention. It gives the rationale for the 2013 Act’s rationale, stating that the flexibility of two to four times was kept in view of the demand expressed by various political parties that the state governments should have the liberty, subject to certain minimum norms to be prescribed by the Centre. It, however, felt this flexibility does not help the
farmers. In the Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Second Bill, 2015 before the JPC for scrutiny, the Modi government has made the compensation at flat rate of four times the market value, while not tweaking the double compensation proposed in the Act.
“We want it four times irrespective of urban or rural area,” a Congress MP in JPC said.
Meanwhile, the JPC cancelled its meeting on Tuesday and fixed July 16 to meet the representatives of all the concerned ministries, including the secretaries from the rural development, commerce, law and legislative ministries as well as officials from the Railways.
The committee will start scrutiny of the Bill clause-by-clause from July 22 as the chairman has invited members to suggest their amendments or acceptance of the government amendments latest by July 18.