Bengal Ind Minister calls for land acquisition act amendment

Kolkata, Aug 1(UNI) West Bengal Industry Minister Nirupam Sen today called for an amendment to the present land acquisition act to bring in provision for uniform economic rehabilitation for land losers across the country.

'' The present land acquisition act should be amended. I have written to the Centre in this regard. We ought to tell the Centre to make compulsory economic rehabilitation for land losers in a uniform way across the country,'' he told the Assembly while speaking on a motion under rule 185.

The motion was moved by leader of the Congress Legislature Party Manas Bhunia demanding among other things, that land losers be given higher compensation and equity holding of the companies setting up industries.

Mr Sen said the existing central act, under which the state government had to acquire land, was devoid of a well defined provision for compensation, rehabilitation and a formula for fixing land price. It should also stipulate what kind of compensation can be given for the plots acquired for industry and infrastructure projects, including construction of highways or laying of railway tracks.

Referring to the recent unrest over land acquisition for several projects in the state, the Industry Minister also appealed to all political parties to come to a consensus through dialogues on the nature of compensation and rehabilitation of land losers.

He said the state government, which had already offered compensation to the Singur land losers and recorded bargadars at a much higher rate than anywhere in the country, was seriously considering to extend the benefit also to the unrecorded bargadars.

UNI