Utkal Chamber of Commerce (UCCI), an apex body of industry representatives in the state, has suggested some amendments in the Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill-2011 to make it more practical and implementable.
Opposing the bill’s proposal to secure the consent of 80 per cent of local people as a pre-requisite for the acquisition of land by the private companies, the industry body has suggested limiting this percentage to 50 per cent of the local people and applicable of this clause for both the private and public sector. There should not be any differentiation for private and public sector companies as the private sector plays pivotal role in the economic development of the nation, it said.
Similarly the proposal for barring acquisition of irrigated multi cropped land, the chamber argued that if a small portion of such land falls in the premises of the project area then acquisition of such land becomes inevitable as the selection of project site depends on the logistic and infrastructural facilities available.
UCCI proposed in such a case multi cropped irrigated land has to be acquired and opined that only if the project area covers more than 50 per cent of the irrigated and multi cropped land, the acquisition should be avoided.
Moreover the industry body has disapproved the section 93 of the bill which provides that the purpose mentioned for acquisition of land shall not be changed. It pleaded amendment of the provision to allow change in the purpose of use of land with the permission of the acquiring authority.
Awarding of solatium of 100 per cent of the total compensation to the land owners has been opposed vehemently by the UCCI which termed it as highly exorbitant and unreasonable and suggested that solatium may be added only over market value of land not over any other assets attached to the land. The UCCI plans submit a memorandum mentioning the suggestions for amendment in the proposed bill to the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India and the state revenue and disaster management on November 22.
