Farmers in Chhattisgarh will now get over 10 times more compensation for giving away their land for industrial and commercial projects in the state.
In a crucial decision taken by the state government, the compensation price for the land taken away from the farmers for various projects has been increased by about 10 to 12 times as compared to the existing rate. The move is aimed at providing adequate compensation to the farmers.
The state government will give Rs 10 lakh for an acre of two-crop irrigated land; Rs 8 lakh per acre for single crop un-irrigated land and Rs 6 lakh for an acre of barren land, Chhattisgarh revenue minister Amar Agrawal said.
The farmers were getting Rs 1 lakh till now, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 for an acre of two-crop irrigated, single-crop un-irrigated and barren land respectively as compensation for selling their land for industrial and commercial projects.
The necessary clauses in the state's model rehabilitation policy will be amended to include the revised price of land compensation, Agrawal said. The new price will be applicable on the land purchased under emergency land acquisition or mutual agreement between the party and farmer, the minister said.
The industrialists, however, feel that the new land compensation price has come as a set-back. While on one hand the government is not acquiring land, putting many important projects on hold, on the other hand, it has increased the compensation rate, Gopal Krishna Agrawal, President of Urla (Raipur) Industrial Association, said.
The new price would not only increase the project costs but also create complications for the industry directly acquiring land from the farmers. The farmers will now negotiate high and demand no less than Rs 15 lakh for an acre of land, Agrawal added.
Leader of Opposition in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Ravindra Choubey charged that the state government was ensuring auction of farmer’s land for the industrial projects. The government should have consulted the legislators before finalising the new price, Choubey added.
