Law Soon For Rehabilitation Before Sez Land Acquisition

Law soon for rehabilitation before SEZ land acquisition

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New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) Facing protests over land acquisition for setting up Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the government is considering to enact a law making it mandatory for industries to rehabilitate the displaced people before developing projects.

Piloted by the Rural Development Ministry, the Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) Bill is currently being examined by the law ministry, said sources from the two ministries.

"We have a two-pronged strategy. Besides enacting a new R&R Act, the Land Acquisition Act too would be amended to give the new law an overriding effect over the Land Acquisition Act and the Special Economic Zone Act," said a rural development ministry source.

Earlier this week, Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had said his ministry's relief and rehabilitation policy would soon go to the cabinet.

Singh indicated that compulsory land acquisition for industrial projects including Special Economic Zones would not be allowed "at any cost" in the policy. He said his ministry "would ensure that the interests of farmers are protected".