The controversial bill seeking to amend land acquisition laws is unlikely to be tabled in the ongoing winter session of Parliament, Trinamool Congress today said.
Chief whip of the Trinamool Congress parliamentary party in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyya told PTI today that the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill might not be tabled this time as the bill has not been enlisted so far for discussion.
“The impression I gathered from the all party meeting convened by the Speaker on November 9 is that none of those present said anything when I specifically asked if the bill would come up for discussion in the current session,” he said.
Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee is opposing government's role in acquiring land for private industry whereas the bill seeks to empower the government to acquire 30 per cent of the land in case buyers faced difficulties.
Bandyopadhyya said that Mamata was firm on her stand that there should be no forcible land acquisition from farmers for industry.
“She is of the opinion that the government should not remain present as a mediator at any stage in the land acquisition process. It should be held only through negotiation between land owners or farmers and buyers,” he said.
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“Land acquisition should be totally peaceful and interests of the farmers have to be safeguarded. And this position has been articulated verbally and in writing to the government,” he said.
The Railway Minister had recently skipped a meeting convened by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to evolve a consensus within the ruling alliance on the bill.
She has also demanded penal provisions to check use of money and muscle power by private developers in acquiring land from farmers.
Besides, she wants the government to return one-tenth of the acquired land fully developed to the owner for commercial use besides a government job for one person of the family which loses the land.