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It also indicated confidence that the Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would support it, with some changes.
The Akalis have given a list of “suggestions”, requesting the government to follow the Punjab Land Acquisition Policy. They have said the current comfortable position of food security was primarily thanks to the intensive farming in Punjab, contributing 40 to 50 per cent of the county’s food requirement from a geographical area that is a mere 1.5 per cent of India.
Yet, smaller landholdings and growing urbanisation have put excess pressure on agricultural land in Punjab. To ensure food security, more land across the country will need to be brought under agriculture to prevent excessive exploitation only of certain regions. “Any acquisition of land must keep in mind the future needs of the country on the food security front,” it has said.
Sources said the government could accommodate some of these suggestions, including a demand by the Akalis that “multi-cropped land is acquired only as a last resort”. However, demands such as retaining the social impact assessment and consent clauses might not find favour. A senior minister said the government was unlikely to amend the core of the Bill. “It isn’t a Bill for non-acquisition of land,” the minister quipped.
In their suggestions, the Akalis said land acquisition in Punjab was a "time-tested success story". Land in the state is acquired through consultation and after ensuring compensation close to the market value, it said. The Akalis have argued that both the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 and the current Bill lack "foolproof safeguards" for compensating farmers with adequate market value. They claim land owners in Punjab are given an option of market rate plus a displacement allowance or becoming partners in the proposed project through a land pooling policy.
It said land should be acquired only by the government for public purposes and it should not get into acquisition for private entities. Other suggestions include that the farmer not be denied the right to approach a court; that there be no acquisition without the consent of a majority of farmers/landowners, and states be given free hand to fix market price of land, applicable for all acquisitions, regardless of whether done for the state or central government.
