The joint committee of Parliament looking at the Land Acquisition Bill will submit its report by August 3 but it is unlikely to help the government make any headway in getting the statute passed by Parliament. The committee’s report is crucial as it will form the basis for any serious discussion, that prime minister Narendra Modi wants, on the contentious Bill in the curtailed three-week monsoon session of Parliament beginning tomorrow.

According to the plan drawn up by the panel, it will be having two meetings – on July 22 and July 27 – to firm up its recommendations. The members will be given time till July 30, to submit their dissent note, if any, and the report will be ready by July 31, a source aware of the developments told The Financial Express.

He added that 18 states have already submitted their views on the NDA’s Land Acquisition Bill to the panel. As expected, the Congress-ruled states have opposed the changes, including the dilution of the consent and social impact assessment clauses, and West Bengal has also completely disapproved any land acquisition under the NDA proposed statute.

While other non-NDA state Odisha, from which prime minister Narendra Modi would be expecting a supportive stance, too, has expressed reservation against the NDA dilution of the UPA’s 2013 Land Act; it has said that for any land acquired for economic or commercial purposes, there should be a provision to make those losing their land, or Panchayats, to be made permanent stakeholders in the project.

Clearly, even the joint Parliamentary committee appears to be divided on the lines witnessed in the NITI Aayog governing council meeting on the issue on July 15, which was boycotted by the nine Congress-ruled states. So, even if the panel comes up with a plan to get the amended Land Acquisition Bill passed in Parliament, it will be extremely difficult for the NDA to muster a majority in the Rajya Sabha in the near future.