Panel wants details on projects stuck due to acquisition issue

New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI) The parliamentary panel on theland bill has sought from the government details of theprojects which have been stuck due to acquisition issues. The committee is supposed to give its report by the endof winter session. The panel is comprehensively studying and analysing allaspects of the bill and therefore has sought details from theDepartment of Land Resources about the projects which havebeen stuck due to acquisition issues, a source said. Since the land acquisition bill was pending in Parliament,the government had promulgated ordinance on four occasions. But giving up the ordinance route, the government had onAugust 28 last issued a ‘statutory order’ to include 13central acts like National Highway and Railways acts to extendbenefits to those whose land is acquired under land law. The Land Acquisition Act, 2013 had exempted 13 acts fromits purview with the condition that they would be broughtwithin the ambit of the act within one year. The NDA’sordinance in December 2014 had brought these 13 acts under thenew land bill. At the same time, it also made significant changes in theLand Acquisition Act 2013 including removal of consent clausefor acquiring land for five areas — industrial corridors, PPPprojects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing anddefence. Facing stiff protests from the Opposition as well asallies, the NDA government decided not to press with theordinance for the fourth time and BJP members in theparliamentary panel moved amendments seeking to restorecertain clauses of the earlier bill. PTI JTR NAB KUN ZMNKUN