Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pramila Mallick inaugurating the Kalinga Baliyatra in Paradip | Express
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government which seeks to amend the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLAR&R) Act, 2013 has proposed that projects vital to national security and public interest will be exempt from social impact assessment (SIA).
The amendment bill was introduced by Revenue Minister Pramila Mallick in the Assembly on Wednesday. It states that the objective is to expedite handing over hassle-free land to different project proponents given their intent to invest in the state through Make-in-Odisha initiative.
Projects vital to national security or defence of India; public infrastructure like educational institution, health, electrification, irrigation project, drinking water project, affordable housing for poor people, industrial corridor by government, all linear project including state highway, national highway, railways and industrial projects displacing less than 100 families or acquisition of private land of less than 500 acre will be exempt from the applicability of the provisions of the original Act.
“It is needless to mention that providing hassle-free land to the project proponent is one of the basic requirements for industrial and infrastructure developments and acquisition of private land under the RFCTLAR&R Act, 2013 has been a major challenge for the state government,” said the minister in her statement of objects and reasons.
To broad base the industrial ecosystem for faster employment generation and all-round economic development of the state, a task force was constituted under the chairmanship of additional chief secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management to suggest necessary changes in existing land laws and procedures for facilitating smooth transfer of land for industrial projects.
The task force has recommended amendment to the Central legislation of 2013 in its applicability to the state. The state proposed to suitably amend the Act so that consent for acquisition of the land, projects listed in section 10-A is not required. However, the consent of the affected persons will be required in scheduled areas where no land is allowed to be transferred by way of acquisition in contravention of the existing law. The state further proposed to change the provision of lapsing of the entire process of land acquisition for reason beyond control to remove obstacles coming in the way of payment of compensation to land losers.
