The final Land Acquisition Bill vs the earlier ones

Finally, the draft Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 is in Parliament. It could be voted on in the winter session in December. Bearing the stamp of Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, it differs from the earlier draft in several respects.

Here's how

ISSUE: Minimum compensation
POSITION IN JULY DRAFT: Six times market value in rural areas; twice the value in urban areas
POSITION IN BILL: Four times market value in rural areas; twice the value in urban areas
TRIGGER FOR CHANGE: Concern that it would impose heavy burden on industry

ISSUE: Acquiring multi-crop irrigated land
JULY DRAFT: Prohibited
BILL: Allowed for "linear" projects such as railways and highways
TRIGGER FOR CHANGE: Linear projects need contiguous strips of land

ISSUE: Definition of public purpose
JULY DRAFT: Broad defi nition
BILL: Definition tightened and power of eminent domain to apply only for government's own acquisitions
TRIGGER FOR CHANGE: Removes ambiguity by committing to specifics

ISSUE: Allowance made for states
JULY DRAFT: None
BILL: States can enact their own laws provided these do not contradict Union law
TRIGGER FOR CHANGE: Land acquisition is in Constitution's Concurrent List; Bill adopts decentralised approach

ISSUE: Change of purpose after acquisition
JULY DRAFT: Does not address issue
BILL: No deviation from Land Use plan submitted during acquisition
TRIGGER FOR CHANGE: Allowing the government to change goal posts mid-course gives it unwarranted discretionary power

"I am a political animal. This bill is as much about Land Acquisition as about politics." "The entire credit for this should go to Rahul Gandhi. It was he who not only gave broad principles for the Bill, but also met the Prime Minister and talked to various people to impress upon them the urgency of introducing the Bill in this session." "The underlying assumption is that the social benefi t of the Bill will far outweigh the economic costs." "When you are trying to bring about balance between different objectives, you always negotiate to everyone's advantage."