The Congress today complained to President Pranab Mukherjee against the new land acquisition law passed by the TRS government in Telangana, alleging that "the law was enacted to make it easier for government to acquire land while curtailing rights of people."
"State government has enacted amendments to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. These amendments, while mostly identical to the amendments introduced by the Central Government by way of Ordinance in December 2014, are in gross violation of the principal Act," a Telangana Congress release quoted the party leaders as saying in a memorandum submitted to the President here.
State Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and other leaders pointed out that section 107 of the 2013 Act (brought under the UPA regime) makes it clear that no amendments could be carried out unless they enhance the benefits and safeguards provided under the 2013 law.
They claimed that the amendments made by the state government do not satisfy these requirements and instead seek to dilute the protections, safeguards and benefits given under the 2013 law.
The sole purpose behind this is to make the process of acquiring land easier for the state authorities while curtailing the rights given to the people by the 2013 law, they alleged.
Maintaining that the Social Impact Assessment or SIA is the heart and soul of the law, the leaders claimed that the amendments abandon the process of social impact assessment and preparation of social impact management plan.
"The President has the right to refuse approval if, after careful consideration, the State amendments are seen as a method to bypass critical safeguards and infringe upon the rights provided to the affected families," they said.
The leaders of the main opposition appealed to the President that the state law be seen as an alleged attempt "to take away the hard fought rights and protections afforded to the affected families, all in the name of administrative convenience in land acquisition."
The President is in Hyderabad for his annual southern sojourn during which he stays at the Rashtrapati Nilayam, one of the Presidential Retreats.
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