By IANS,
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to implement her government’s new land acquisition policy while setting up central projects in the state, an official statement said Saturday.
“The chief minister has requested the prime minister to make arrangements regarding implementation of this land acquisition policy in the public sector institutions/enterprises of union government in the state at present like railways, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Gas Authority of India Limited, NTPC etc. so that uniformity could be maintained in connection of land acquisition in the State,” according to government press release issued here.
“While enclosing the government order (GO) of the new policy with her letter, the chief minister has said that under the new policy, for the first time provisions have been made to acquire land on the basis of mutual consent and benefit the farmers from the developed land.”
“Besides, arrangements have also been made to give compensation to landless labourers. The new policy would be beneficial for farmers and land acquiring agency both,” added the release.
Some departments, enterprises and authorities of the union government had undertaken land acquisition under their respective acts.
In these central acts, there are no provisions of mutual consent and contract with the farmers and safeguarding the interests of landless labourers, owing to which sometimes the problem of law and order arises, the statement said.
The Mayawati government June 2 announced the new land acquisition policy under which its role in acquiring land for private developers would only be that of a facilitator.
The announcement of the policy followed a “kisan panchayat” (farmers’ assembly) that was addressed by Mayawati.