Land Bill to see two major changes

First, there will be a distinction in the consent requirement from landowners/affected people between cases of government acquiring land for public-private partnership (PPP) projects with public purpose and purely private projects — in the case of the former, consent from only 70% of landowners/affected people will be mandatory, while that from 80% of these people will be required for private companies' acquisition of land for their use.

Second, in the case of projects where land acquisition process has been under way for five years or more, the entire process will be nullified and brought under the new norms for a fresh start.

According to official sources, the final draft of the proposed Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Bill marks a departure from what was originally outlined in the Bill as vetted by the parliamentary standing committee.

The LARR Bill had spelt out that consent of 80% of landowners as well the people dependent on the land shall be required by both government and the private sectors.

Even a group of ministers (GoM) had batted for this 80% consent formula. However, with objections being raised by the ministries of commerce, road, defence and civil aviation, among others, the GoM watered it down to two-thirds consent of “only landowners” before any land acquisition, without any distinction between government (PPP) and pure private sector players.

Now the land Bill is awaiting the

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