BENGALURU: The state government is yet to take a stand on the Centre’s amended Land Acquisition Act, Revenue Minister V Srinivas Prasad told the Council on Friday.
Replying to a discussion on a private member’s bill moved by C H Vijayashankar (BJP), seeking amendments to the state’s Land Revenue Act 1961 to prevent the acquisition of cultivable land for non-farm activities, Prasad said, “If it (Centre’s amended Act) was accepted in toto, the state’s Land Reform Bill may lose its sheen.” He said more than 2.5 lakh acres of agriculture land were under the process of acquisition. The proposals for these acquisitions had been sent by both state and private agencies, including BBMP, KIADB, KRDCL, BDA and PWD, he said. “Several protective provisions for land losers have been substantially diluted by the amendment, which was pushed through an ordinance by the NDA government,” he said.
Prasad said the issue of whether to accept the amended Act had come up for discussion in the last Cabinet meeting, but no decision was taken as there was no clarity on whether the ordinance was binding on state governments.
Earlier, tabling the Bill, the BJP member said that to protect the interest of farmers and ensure the food security of the state and nation, there was an urgent need to put stringent conditions on acquisition of farm land for non-farm activities.Vijayashankar said the state had lost large tracts of farm land for non-agricultural purposes, and expressed fear that “if the trend is allowed to continue, a day may come when no fertile land is left to grow crops.”
Chairman D H Shankaramurthy promised to take up the issue for discussion next week, and adjourned the House for the day.