New land Bill allows original owner 40% share in value
The revised Bill stipulates the original land owners a 40% share in the appreciated land value as opposed to 20% earlier, besides allowing the return of unutilised land to either the land bank or the original land owner. This is in contrast to the provision in the earlier draft of the Bill that required the unused land to be returned to the land bank only.
According to a senior rural development ministry official, there are four major changes in the revised Bill. These pertain to consent, retrospectivity, return of unutilised land and share in appreciated land value.
While the revised Bill asks for 80% consent for acquisition for private projects, 70% consent for public-private partnership (PPP) projects and no consent for infrastructure projects fully owned and executed by the government, the official added that the ministry is still working on the exact formulation of the provision that allows the law to be applied retrospectively to cases which witnessed protests in the past.
This is in stark contrast to the recommendations of the standing committee which in May said the government should not buy land for PPP projects or for private firms even when public interest is involved.
Despite the changes, the ministry
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