Gujarat recipe to acquire land cheap for industry: Town planning law "overrides" new land acquisition Act

Proposed Dholera smart city

By A Representative
The Gujarat government is all set to make it official now. A top state document in Gujarati, prepared by the state revenue department, has made it clear that the new land acquisition law – the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LARR, 2013) – will not be application in areas where a town planning scheme is floated. The document, still in its draft form, and floated as "rules" for LARR Act, 2013, makes it clear, “Wherever a town planning scheme is finalised, there will not be any land acquisition under any other law.”
Meant for internal discussion and running into 200 pages, the document, which gives a comprehensive picture on how the land acquisition law, passed under the previous UPA government at the Centre and supported by the BJP, would be implemented in Gujarat, however, makes it clear that till the point a town planning scheme is in the draft form and is not finalised, no land acquisition can place under the town planning Act. “But as soon as the town planning scheme is finalised, any land acquisition under LARR, 2013 would be treated as illegal”, it insists.
The draft rules providing precedence to the town planning Act over LARR, 2013, if finalised, are particularly significant, as it would legitimise land acquisition done by the Gujarat government in the special investment regions (SIRs) after floating the town planning scheme in areas like Dholera in Ahmedabad district, where an ultra-modern Greenfield city is being planned. Farmers of the region, fighting for saving their land under the banner of Jameen Adhikar Andolan Gujarat (JAAG), had objected to government acquiring 40 to 50 per cent of land under the pretext of town planning.
The issue of “taking away” 50 per cent of farmers' land came up sharply during the environmental public hearing for Dholera SIR on January 3, 2014, where a senior government official KD Chandnani, who is also CEO, Dholera SIR Development Authority, said, “Under the Town Planning Scheme, after deduction of land up to 50 per cent, land will be allotted to the original land owner in a geometric shape, and with all the infrastructure facilities, in the form of a final plot. Compensation for the deducted land will be paid as per the jantri April 2011.”
The application of jantri, which is the government assessment of the value of land, for the 50 per cent of the land “taken away” for infrastructure development under the town planning Act stands in sharp contrast to the draft rules for LARR Act, 2013, which states that in the urban areas compensation for land acquisition would be “four times that of the latest market value of land.” Under the town planning Act, however, jantri is applied. Based government assessment of the prevailing rate, jantri is known to be several times lower than the market rate and is generally “fixed” once in five years.
While the farmers would be net losers if a town planning Act is floated, the Gujarat government's draft rules for LARR Act, 2013 state that, in contrast to the urban areas, in the rural areas' compensation against land acquisition would be 50 per cent less than that of urban areas. They say,in effect, in the rural areas, the compensation would be “two times” (as against four times in urban areas) of the latest market rate, fixed by taking into account the highest selling price in the last three years.
At the same time, the draft rules for LARR, 2013 repeat other details – such as the need for consent from 70 per cent of the rural populace in case of a public-private partnership (PPP) project and 80 per cent of the rural populace in case the project is privately owned. The rules also provide extensive details about on providing rehabilitation, including employment and other livelihood options, of the affected population. They also give details on how to acquire land during an emergency. The state rules acquire significance, as land is in concurrent list of the Constitution, and the Centre cannot overrule them.

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

CFA flags ‘welfare retreat’ in Union Budget 2026–27, alleges corporate bias

By Jag Jivan The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has sharply criticised the Union Budget 2026–27 , calling it a “budget sans kartavya” that weakens public welfare while favouring private corporations, even as inequality, climate risks and social distress deepen across the country.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

When free trade meets unequal fields: The India–US agriculture question

By Vikas Meshram The proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has triggered intense debate across the country. This agreement is not merely an attempt to expand bilateral trade; it is directly linked to Indian agriculture, the rural economy, democratic processes, and global geopolitics. Free trade agreements (FTAs) may appear attractive on the surface, but the political economy and social consequences behind them are often unequal and controversial. Once again, a fundamental question has surfaced: who will benefit from this agreement, and who will pay its price?

Why Russian oil has emerged as the flashpoint in India–US trade talks

By N.S. Venkataraman* In recent years, India has entered into trade agreements with several countries, the latest being agreements with the European Union and the United States. While the India–EU trade agreement has been widely viewed in India as mutually beneficial and balanced, the trade agreement with the United States has generated comparatively greater debate and scrutiny.

Penpa Tsering’s leadership and record under scrutiny amidst Tibetan exile elections

By Tseten Lhundup* Within the Tibetan exile community, Penpa Tsering is often described as having risen through grassroots engagement. Born in 1967, he comes from an ordinary Tibetan family, pursued higher education at Delhi University in India, and went on to serve as Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile from 2008 to 2016. In 2021, he was elected Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), becoming the second democratically elected political leader of the administration after Lobsang Sangay.

'Big blow to crores of farmers’: Opposition mounts against US–India trade deal

By A Representative Farmers’ organisations and political groups have sharply criticised the emerging contours of the US–India trade agreement, warning that it could severely undermine Indian agriculture, depress farm incomes and open the doors to genetically modified (GM) food imports in violation of domestic regulatory safeguards.

From Puri to the State: How Odisha turned the dream of drinkable tap water into policy

By Hans Harelimana Hirwa, Mansee Bal Bhargava Drinking water directly from the tap is generally associated with developed countries where it is considered safe and potable. Only about 50 countries around the world offer drinkable tap water, with the majority located in Europe and North America, and a few in Asia and Oceania. Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, and Singapore have the highest-quality tap water, followed by Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the USA, Australia, the UK, Costa Rica, and Chile.

Territorial greed of Trump, Xi Jinping, and Putin could make 2026 toxic

By N.S. Venkataraman* The year 2025 closed with bloody conflicts across nations and groups, while the United Nations continued to appear ineffective—reduced to a debate forum with little impact on global peace and harmony.

Search This Blog