16.9.11

Mamata's draft land bill

No land acquisition for private investors, not even for projects in public-private partnership model, and no special economic zones in Bengal. CM Mamata Banerjee tabled the draft land bill at the state cabinet meeting on Wednesday, proposing to acquire land only for government projects like building bridges, hospitals, laying of railway tracks, setting up of embankments, irrigation projects and projects relating to internal security. Mamata’s bill is different from all other land legislations being processed at the Centre or announced by other states. Haryana and UP, for instance, have kept a provision for acquisition of land for both government and private projects. The CM is in no hurry and is open to suggestions from the opposition to improve other sections of the bill dealing with compensation for those who lose their land. She will place the draft for discussion at an all party meeting to be called soon. The draft bill is in tune with Mamata’s reluctance to acquire land for private projects, an issue she converted into mass protests in Singur and Nandigram, which swept her to power. The CM doesn’t want to compromise on the definition of the “public purpose” clause in the bill. Trinamool Congress MPs will raise this point in Parliament when the central land bill comes up for discussion. Taking note of the resentment faced by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government for fixing land price, the Bengal land bill proposes to make the process simpler. It aims to fix land price by adding 100% solatium to the prevailing market price in urban areas, and 400% solatium in rural areas. But unlike other states, which have declared an annual annuity between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 per acre for the landholder for a period of 33 years, which will increase with the quantum of land, the government is considering a flat monthly pension for all who lose their land, irrespective of the amount of land acquired. The draft bill fixes the pension amount at Rs 3,000 per month for the first 12 months, and Rs 2,000 per month for the remaining 19 years. Mamata also promises a government job to a member of the family which has lost it’s land, or a one-time payout of Rs 2 lakh in case if the member is ineligible for a government job, which is along Haryana’s land policy. In addition, landowners, bargadars and land labourers rendered homeless because of the acquisition will get an additional support of Rs 1.5 lakh for building houses, and another Rs 50,000 as transportation charge.

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