Calcutta, March 12: The state government wants a clause on compensation of unregistered sharecroppers in the revised land acquisition law being mulled by the Centre.

Delhi had prepared a draft amendment bill to the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and sent it to state governments for suggestions.

“We went through the clauses and would like to add a few more,” industries minister Nirupam Sen told the Assembly.

In the present system, only registered sharecroppers get compensation if their land is acquired. “In the new legislation, we want a clause also guaranteeing compensation for unregistered bargadars (sharecroppers),” Sen said.

The state government will conduct a study to find out what sort of land compensation package will be suitable for projects set to come up in the state. “Experts from the universities of Calcutta, Jadavpur, Burdwan and North Bengal will undertake the industry-specific study and work out what sort of benefits people foregoing or selling their land should get,” the minister said.

The central bill also wants investors to buy 70 per cent of the land for a project directly from owners.

This, according to Sen, may not be possible in many cases because of the “reluc- tance” of landowners to sell their land.

“We want to find out whether this would be feasible at all. Our experience is that in many cases a state government has to intervene to acquire land and hand it over to investors. We are considering all these aspects.”

Replying to a query by the Congress’s Manas Bhuniya, the industries minister said the state government would try to focus on non-agricultural land for setting up industries and that the process had begun in Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum.

“Our government’s intention is to avoid farmland as much as possible. Asansol and Durgapur in Burdwan district have already emerged as industrial centres. Similarly, we have decided to demarcate areas in Bankura, Birbhum and Purulia for turning them into industrial hubs,” Sen added.

In Purulia, where the land is mostly arid, 10,800 acres have already been identified for iron and steel industries.

“In Bankura’s Borjora, an industrial park is being set up. The state government has begun the process of land acquisition in both Purulia and Bankura,” Sen said.

“The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation is also trying to facilitate the arrival of new industries in Birbhum.”