Gujarat’s new land acquisition Bill approved by the President of India
The Gujarat Land Acquisition Bill 2016, that dilutes the Centre’s
stringent provisions of the Land Acquisition Act 2013, has been given approval
by the President and will take effect on August 15th.
Contentious provisions in the Bill:
- The Bill has done away with social impact assessment for projects related to defence and social infrastructure like building public roads, canals and schools and affordable houses and also for acquisition of land for industrial corridors.
- It empowers the authorities to exempt projects “vital to defence of national security of the country”, “infrastructure and electrification project or affordable housing for the poor” or “industrial corridors set up by the State or its undertakings” and “infrastructure projects under public-private partnership” from social impact assessment or consent clauses as incorporated in the central Act.
- It also allows the State or its undertakings to acquire land up to one kilometre on both sides of designated railway lines or highways in industrial corridor projects.
