A Land Acquisition Bill With Many Faultlines

This paper discusses the problems with the much revised and much delayed Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, and how they may be addressed. A democratization of the land acquisition process is long overdue. However, the final decision regarding land acquisition is to be made by a high-level committee consisting entirely of bureaucrats headed by a chief secretary of a state. It is questionable whether such a committee can objectively ensure “minimum displacement of people, minimum disturbance to the infrastructure and ecology, and minimum adverse impact on the individuals affected” in all cases of land acquisition. The experience of the Environmental Impact Assessment process currently followed shows that due processes are given a go by when it comes to implementation because of our vested-interest-driven political-bureaucratic system.