Ground realities

No one will deny the necessity of linking the national capital to neighbouring States through expressways that provide speedy and efficient connectivity to various urban centres. Quite apart from the obvious advantages of time saved and external economies accruing from such connectivity in terms of employment and revenues for the States, in India's case there could be other gains in the easing of pressure on certain urban conglomerates in terms of office and housing spaces. One of the benefits of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, for instance, is that with travel made so much speedier, economic connectivity between the two cities now means cost savings: for firms, a business trip can be quick and need not involve overnight stays or, in some cases, even office spaces. All round, the expressway between two economic hubs pays rich dividends.

Against this backdrop, the proposal for an expressway between New Delhi and Chandigarh that is being considered favourably by the Centre is worth consideration. But before pledging any of its precious funds the Centre would do well to reflect on the on-going troubles over the 185-km Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh. Whatever be the politics motivating the Congress and other Opposition parties in the farmers' agitation, land acquisition has become a point of extreme contention. The problem is not unique to the Yamuna Expressway and has been prevalent across India as farmers oppose the sale of their lands, either because of the terms of compensation or because they simply do not want to part with the lands, as was seen in Singur and Nandigram in West Bengal. While the role of political opportunism in fanning discontent cannot be denied, what is evident is that such discontent exists, however inchoate, and that is something the Centre needs to take into account. Ever since the Special Economic Zone Act was passed in 2005, the Centre has blithely assumed lands would be available for infrastructure and industrial projects. Despite growing evidence that the extant legislation on land acquisition and compensation leaves much to be desired, the Centre has been rather lackadaisical in its efforts to make the land transfer process more amicable. The latest consequence of that foot-dragging is the farmers' agitation in western UP and the sorry fact that in some States, such as Goa, approved SEZs had to be de-notified because of popular resistance.

Perhaps the proposed expressway to Chandigarh will not face opposition; perhaps, by then, the Home Minister's recent statements on providing a spanking new land acquisition legislation will bear fruit. It better, because at stake is not just a road here or highway there but the future of industrial expansion itself.

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