Given the political necessity of projecting a pro-farmer image, the UPA government has come up with an improved Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill. The Bill was long overdue and it must be enacted in the current monsoon session of Parliament. Most people are in favour of the Bill for the simple reason that it will reassure land owners that their land will not be taken away forcibly. However, loopholes in the Bill like the ambiguous definition of “public interest”, scope for unfair valuation of land in urban areas and the omission of the allocation of a share of the developed land in rural areas need to be addressed.
G David Milton, Maruthancode
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