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Land Bill introduction stalled in Lok Sabha following quota row

New Delhi: The controversial land acquisition bill could not be introduced in the Lok Sabha today following repeated adjournments over the issue of quota in government job promotion.

 

The bill was listed in today's supplementary of business for introduction, Government sources said. They cited repeated disruptions by Samajwadi Party members on the issue of reservation as the reason for deferring the introduction of the bill.

It is likely to be introduced tomorrow, they said.

The bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet last week, making mandatory the consent of 80 per cent of people whose land is taken for private projects.

The revised bill also makes mandatory obtaining of consent of 70 per cent of the people whose land will be for acquired in the case of Public-Private Partnership projects.

The bill, rechristened as Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, was finalised by the Rural Development Ministry incorporating the suggestion of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi who had asked the government to take the consent from 80 per cent land owners for purchase of land for the purpose of setting up industries.

Sources had said that Gandhi was not in favour of the Group of Ministers' proposal that the consent of two-thirds of "land losers" (from whom land would be purchased) was enough for acquiring land for industries and PPP projects.

The GoM had suggested that the consent clause be kept at 67 per cent for PPP projects and private projects.

The government had constituted the GoM after some ministers voiced strong reservations against certain