Login With Google
Land acquisition law challenged in court
Why is it in news?
- The Supreme Court decided to examine a plea challenging the legality of amendments brought in by Tamil Nadu and four other States.
- It allows authorities to bypass the need to take farmers’ consent before their land is acquired for large infrastructure projects.
About petition
- A Bench of Justices issued notice to the Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Jharkhand governments for amending their land acquisition laws to the extent that consent of farmers or land owners is not required before their land is acquired for projects like industrial corridors, expressways and highways.
- The petition said the States allow land acquisition without participation of representative local bodies like gram sabha in social impact assessment studies, without expert appraisal processes, public hearings, objections, and safeguard provisions to ensure food security.
- The petition said the amendments violate the “core spirit” of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013.
- It mandates that 70% of the affected land owners should consent to the acquisition of land for a public private participation project.
- The 2013 Act replaced its colonial predecessor of 1894 and was intended to uphold the farmers’ right to dignity and life.
- The States have removed the consent clause of PPP, paving the way for many private projects that are running under the garb of PPP.
- Tax payers’ money is spent while acquiring land and creating infrastructure but private players take away the maximum share at the profit-making stage
Source
The Hindu