Land acquisition policy under scanner

CPI(M) PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

As the UPA government gears itself to amend the Land Acquisition Act, its key ally, the CPI(M), is opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach in issues relating to land acquisition.

The land acquisition policy being reviewed by a parliamentary standing committee foresees a minimal role for the state governments, which are permitted to acquire only up to 30 per cent of the land that the private sector requires for an industrial project, and that too after the remaining 70 per cent has already been acquired by the firm intending to set up business.

The party will use its highest political platform, the Party Congress, to impress upon UPA managers that it would not approve the proposed amendments in the Land Acquisition Act, as this could run contrary to the interests of Left-ruled states.

The party, in a document on its experience in running state governments, which is to be presented to the Party Congress in Coimbatore, asserts that the issue of land acquisition should be left to the state governments concerned.

It argues against a uniform cap on land acquisition that is applicable all over India. The document points out that the proportion of agricultural land and population density varies from state to state. So, what is good for Rajasthan can't be as suitable for Kerala.

The CPI(M)-led governments are in a difficult situation in Kerala and especially West Bengal over the issue of giving land to industry. On the question of setting industry in non-agricultural land, the CPI(M) finds that this is a tricky issue.

"What is non-productive land today can become cultivable tomorrow as we have technologies such as drip irrigation. So, the whole question is, how do we look at industrialisation," says a senior politburo member.

Referring to the administrative and political heat over land acquisition in West Bengal, the document says that while non-productive land in the whole of India stands at 17 per cent, in West Bengal it is just one per cent.

This means, in other states non-agricultural land can be easily available for setting up of industries, but in states like West Bengal, it is difficult to do so and there is no alternative but to look for agricultural land.

"The population density of India is 323 people per thousand square km. In West Bengal, it is 906 people per square km. The pressure on land is more than many parts of the country. This is also a factor which the UPA government should remember before deciding on the amendments to the Act," says a CPI(M) central committee member.

West Bengal also has a unique place in the country in terms of land holdings. While in states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, the landowners have huge plots of land, in West Bengal a majority of the landowners have small holdings. This leads to multiple negotiations when a proposal for setting up new industry comes up.

Against this backdrop, the CPI(M) will ask for more powers for the states in the process of land acquisition. Instead of the proposed 30 per cent, the CPI(M) wants the state to have the power to acquire at least 50 per cent of the land in a project.

The document will also raise the party's strong objections to the Special Economic Zone policy of the government.

The CPI(M) feels that the SEZ policy is only helping promote real estate business and there should be a cap on the sectoral allotment of the SEZs. The party is also opposed to the tax rebates offered to the SEZs.