No problem in land acquisition: Nitin Gadkari

Panaji, Aug 24: Even as the NDA government failed to push through the land acquisition bill in the last session of parliament, Union Minister of Road Transport Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on Monday said that the issue was not a problem.

Gadkari, who was in Goa to chair a meeting of the Maritime States Development Council, said that since land acquisition was a concurrent subject, those state governments which desired development could accept the bill proposed by the National Democratic Alliance government and frame their own rules.

He also blamed the Opposition for stalling the bill's passage in parliament.

"There is no problem in land acquisition. Land acquisition is in the concurrent list. Those governments which are interested in the development of the state can accept the acquisition bill, they can make their rules... the state governments are fully authorised to take the decision," Gadkari said.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader also said that when he was union minister of rural development, he entertained requests from a lot of chief ministers and parties, which he claimed had a favourable view of the land acquisition bill.

"When I was minister of rural development, I received proposals from many parties and many chief ministers regarding this land acquisition act," Gadkari said.

"... but because the issue was politicised in parliament, it was decided that we will give all these responsibilities to the state government," the minister added.