Land Bill: Govt looking at options to break deadlock

In the eventuality of Parliament failing to pass the Land Acquisition Bill in the ongoing monsoon session, the government is mulling two options – either to come with a new ordinance on Land Acquisition based on the select panel report or to step back and allow the restoration of 2013 Law.

With less than a week to go for the monsoon session of Parliament to end and the Opposition adamant on its stance, the government is seriously considering these two options, senior functionaries within the government and BJP told BusinessLine .

They, however, maintained that a final decision will be taken only after studying the Joint Select Committee report which is expected on Monday.

A crucial meeting of the panel will take place on Monday. It will discuss three pending clauses including one pertaining to compulsory return of the land to farmers if the land remains unutilised for five years and finalise its report.

Sources in the government say that the conclusion of the panel on this clause (return of land if unused) will be crucial. The panel has worked closely with the Rural Development Ministry so that the proposed amendments will have acceptance from the government’s side too.

Cabinet decision “The Bill, as suggested by the select panel, will go to the Cabinet. The Cabinet will decide on which suggestions should be accepted and which should be ignored. In either case, it will be a political decision. We will take a decision looking at various sides of the debate,” a senior minister said.

At the moment, the panel has accepted the amendments to ensure compulsory employment to farm labourers, application of the Act to 13 other legislations, ensuring a survey of waste land and maintenance of record and including certain clarifications on the purchase of land through private negotiations.

“If any member has any issues with these amendments, he or she may move a dissent note,” a source in the panel said.

The pressure from various organisations linked with the RSS and the tactics to be adopted during the Bihar elections are pushing the government to delay the changes to the land acquisition law. However, a large section in the BJP does not want the Bill to go back to the 2013 version. The BJP is trying to pass the report in the panel without any dissent notes. The Bill is also listed for discussion and passage in the House this week.

The BJP has been maintaining that it was the Congress State Ministers and some Ministers in the erstwhile Manmohan Singh government who first demanded a change to the law.

The Opposition is also maintaining that there is no change possible on issues such as compulsory consent and social impact assessment.

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