Kolkata: The controversial bill seeking to
amend land acquisition laws is unlikely to be tabled in the
ongoing winter session of Parliament, Trinamool Congress on Thursday
said.
Chief whip of the Trinamool Congress parliamentary party
in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyya told PTI today that the Land
Acquisition (Amendment) Bill might not be tabled this time as
the bill has not been enlisted so far for discussion.
"The impression I gathered from the all party meeting
convened by the Speaker on November 9 is that none of those
present said anything when I specifically asked if the bill
would come up for discussion in the current session," he said.
Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee is opposing government`s
role in acquiring land for private industry whereas the bill
seeks to empower the government to acquire 30 per cent of the
land in case buyers faced difficulties.
Bandyopadhyya said that Mamata was firm on her stand that
there should be no forcible land acquisition from farmers for
industry.
"She is of the opinion that the government should not
remain present as a mediator at any stage in the land
acquisition process. It should be held only through
negotiation between land owners or farmers and buyers," he
said.
"Land acquisition should be totally peaceful and
interests of the farmers have to be safeguarded. And this
position has been articulated verbally and in writing to the
government," he said.
The Railway Minister had recently skipped a meeting
convened by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to evolve
a consensus within the ruling alliance on the bill.
She has also demanded penal provisions to check use of
money and muscle power by private developers in acquiring land
from farmers.
Besides, she wants the government to return one-tenth of
the acquired land fully developed to the owner for commercial
use besides a government job for one person of the family
which loses the land.
PTI
