The Trinamul Congress will accept government acquisition of land for the private sector only if the plots are required for projects under public-private partnership (PPP) and serve a public purpose. The stand was articulated by Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP and land expert Debabrata Bandopadhyay at a meeting with Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh here today. The party had so far opposed any government role in acquisition of land for private...

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government’s proposed land acquisition law, a politically sensitive and critical piece of legislation that could potentially remove a big roadblock to industrial investment, aims to address Rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R), providing safeguards for both land owners and livelihood losers, while clearly defining the “public purpose” for which land can be acquired by the government. “This draft Bill seeks to balance the need for facilitating land acquisition...

-PTI   Aiming at ensuring better resettlement and Rehabilitation, the draft Land Acquisition Bill proposes to set up a national monitoring body which will be regularly updated by the states. 'The Draft National Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation &Resettlement Bill, 2011' also proposes to set up authorities both at central and state level for speedy disposal of issues related to land acquisition. "The central government shall constitute aNational Monitoring Committee for reviewing and monitoring the...

Homebuyers in Noida can breathe easy. In an important breakthrough, the city's villages have decided to call off their recent agitation over land acquisition-related issues. After arriving at a settlement with Noida Authority on Saturday, the farmers promised not to disrupt work at any of the project sites. However, the agreement does not affect the fate of projects in Noida Extension, where negotiations are still on between farmers and Greater...

-The Hindu   There is no major difference in views between the West Bengal government and the Centre on the draft Land Acquisition and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill 2011 though there is need for clarity on some points, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said here on Sunday. Mr. Ramesh discussed the draft Bill with Debabrata Bandyopadhyay, a former bureaucrat, a day after he held talks on Saturday with West Bengal Chief...