New Delhi: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Wednesday supported the Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill, 2017 that aims to replace the Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, 1952, with retrospective effect from 1952.
BJD MP from Jagatsinghpur Kulamani Samal spoke on behalf of his party in the Lok Sabha during a debate on the Bill. Samal said, “As we all know, the government is a collective group that works for the benefit of the public at large. I have no option but to support the proposed amendment Bill in its endeavour to amend the Act of 1952.”
However, the MP also pointed a number of issues in the Bill affecting the different stakeholders. He said, “…There are 433 litigations due to land acquisition where the government would have to pay a significant quantum of compensations to the owners. Therefore, the main problem of faulty identification of a land which should not have been acquired in the first instance goes scot free.” Similarly, the MP said that the faulty payment of compensation thereafter also goes unpunished. Therefore, by bringing in this legislation, the government is not eradicating the malady from its root but is trying to cover up the past deeds. He also added, “By proposing to amend Section 7 now the government tries to jump over prolonged litigation traversing up to the Supreme Court, when the interested persons are succeeding/succeeded in getting a notice of acquisition quashed, they would be bestowed with the unintended benefit of compensation for their property.”
Samal also pointed out the proposed provisions of the Bill which talks about reissuing the acquisition notice to the property owner to give him/her adequate opportunity for a hearing irrespective of past court orders besides raking up the issue of interest paid as compensations in cases of requisitions. The Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 18, 2017. The Bill amends the Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, 1952. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha Wednesday after debate.
PNN