-The Times of India   The district administration's attempt to acquire land for a city centre has run into a major row with farmers refusing to part with their land. On Saturday, an SDM and a police officer, who had gone to the village to sort out the issue, were confined for hours by villagers in Chandauli. They managed to reach the district headquarters in the evening. Though Chandauli district magistrate Vijay...

If the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council's (NAC) recommendation — to involve the government for 100% acquisition of land — is accepted by the Centre to formulate its Land Acquisition Bill, the UPA could face an opposition from its biggest ally Trinamool Congress. However, West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is confident that her party's stand is clearly known to the PM and the Centre will take...

They were made to sit inside their vehicle and hear speeches for four hours Police van blocked, taken to hamlet Entry of policemen, violation of CM's assurance A team of policemen was detained in Dhinkia area of Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district on Saturday by villagers opposing Land Acquisition for the proposed steel plant of Posco. The vehicle carrying eight policemen was surrounded by the agitating villagers on the road between Gobindapur and Dhinkia and...

The revised blueprint for Land Acquisition envisages government retaining its facilitator role Contentious Issues     * Protests are often against Land Acquisition per se, regardless of compensation     * Most protests are against private builders acquiring land, changing land use. New norms don’t tackle this.     * Poor government track record in R&R does not inspire much confidence; merged bills won’t work for rehabilitation after natural calamities, etc     * Can the government, which...

-Outlook   Eight police personnel were held hostage by a group of villagers opposing the Rs 52,000 crore Posco steel plant for nearly five hours today before being set free in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district. Seven policemen and the driver of police jeep which entered Patana village in Dhinkia panchayat were stopped by villagers, mostly women and were held captive, Additional Superintendent of Police Shantanu Das told reporters. The policemen and the driver were...