In suggesting the elimination of the government’s discretionary powers in land allotment, Dorab R Sopariwala has stretched the comparison with other democracies a bit too far ignoring indigenous contingencies (“Public favours or plunder?”, January 8). There are many schemes of private and public private participation where the provision of land at concessionary rates serves as an incentive. Take, for example, running hospitals or educational institutions, building houses for the poor, setting up new enterprises and so on. The issue, therefore, is not of a need for discretion but its improper use by the government. Many state governments have avoided going for a fool-proof policy for land allotment and use. An effective legislation should prohibit altering land use because, given the changes made in the use of land from agricultural to non-agricultural or residential to commercial, this freedom has become a source of corruption.
Y G Chouksey, Pune
