This refers to Sreenivasan Jain's column "The noise around the land acquisition law" (The Thick of It, March 3). The controversy over the new land acquisition ordinance is both a clash of principles and political gamesmanship. It is also a fact that industry is sitting on acres of acquired land without investing and changing the end use from industrial to residential or commercial, and lakhs of land-losers are still awaiting rehabilitation. It is being wrongly depicted as a duel between those who want growth and those who don't, when the principles involved are fairly simple. Do the landowners enjoy their right to property only at the pleasure of the government? Should not the citizens be expected to sacrifice their personal interests for the benefit of the nation? Where should the balance be struck? The 1894 concept of 'divine right' is dead, and India is not the Soviet Union or China.
Keeping the need to develop common assets such as irrigation, major and border roads, railways, and strategic defence needs such as setting up bases, compulsory acquisition with adequate compensation and rehabilitation measures, should be permitted for those end uses. All other cases including the individual Acts that now permit 'public purpose' acquisition, must be through a voluntary process. To prevent a few unwilling - whether for genuine or malevolent reasons - landowners from stalling projects, the law can provide that if a majority of, say, 75 per cent (both by number and area) agree to sell, the remaining dissenters can be compelled to sell. However, environment, forest and tribal laws should continue to apply and unused land should be returned.
It may be worthwhile remembering that those who have more, should be ready to sacrifice more, like carowners supporting a law that permits even and odd number cars to ply on alternating days of the week. It is certainly worth remembering that the farmer is not so stupid as not to understand if a change is for his benefit.
P Datta, Kolkata
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