Bhubaneswar, Sept. 6: The Orissa government is keeping close watch on the new land acquisition bill that will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. On Monday, the Union cabinet had cleared the draft land acquisition bill.

Revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro said: “We have sent our para-wise views on the draft bill. Till then, we will keep a watch on it. Whatever amendments are needed will be incorporated in our Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) policy keeping in mind the needs of the people.” Patro said Orissa’s R&R policy was so far the “best in the country”.

Civil society groups have opposed the Centre’s newly approved land acquisition bill. Ashok Nanda, convener of Lok Samukhya, a civil society group, said: “The land acquisition, if at all is unavoidable, may be undertaken only in the interest of integrated development of the people concerned, with special attention to the interests of farmers, artisans and those whose livelihood is dependent on the land to be alienated.”

The families should have access to special adjudication machinery in the form of fast track civil courts to be put in place for a quick disposal of grievances relating to compensation, R&R benefits and land acquisition process, he said.

Civil society groups are of the view that the land to be acquired for any commercial project should be taken by the state from the landowner concerned on lease basis without the ownership of the concerned land being transferred to the project-holding entities.

The Centre should bring out a status paper on current land use pattern along with a comprehensive draft policy on land use for the purpose of a national debate. They are also of the view that if any official is found guilty in the land acquisition process, the person should be subjected to severe penalty, as applicable to a criminal offence, in terms of both imprisonment and monetary fine.

They also suggested that an “autonomous rehabilitation commission” should be there at the national-level having the jurisdiction over both Centre and states/UTs as the final appellate authority in respect of any matter concerning land acquisition by the government.