Gujarat's land acquisition amendments bypass Parliament, undermine democratic processes, says NAPM note

Gujarat farmers protesting against land acquisition in Dholera SIR in December 2015

By A Representative

A detailed note, released at a civil society-sponsored national-level consultation, held in Delhi on amendments to the Central land acquisition Act of 2013, has accused the Gujarat government of shockingly removing Parliament’s role while seeking to invoke urgency clause for acquiring land.
Calling it a “mockery” of the democracy process, the note says, ruling out the role of Parliament in the urgency clause, as mentioned in Section 40 of the Central Act, “reflects the continued tendencies to undermine democracy and established procedures”.
It adds, this is exactly what the state government did while passing the Special Investment Region (SIR) Act, 2009, which allows acquisition of 40% farmers’ land in the name of building township infrastructure.
The note says, through the SIR Act the state government is “trying to use land pooling for creating the Dholera Smart City, 150 kilometers from Ahmedabad”, adding, “92,200 ha from 22 villages belonging to 50,000 people from a strong agricultural community are notified for land pooling.”
Pointing out that Gujarat has also “facilitated the conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural purposes by diluting the clearance processes for such conversion”, the note, prepared under the auspices of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), analyses five states – Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand – which have brought in amendments to the Central land acquisition Act, 2013.
“Most of them have brought the amendments retrospectively in effect from January 1, 2014 nullifying any application of the Central Act in their state”, the note says, adding, these states have exempting “large categories of projects from consent provisions, Social Impact Assessment, taking up objections, local bodies participation, etc.”
These are “primarily linear category projects like industrial corridors, expressways, highways etc.”, the note says, adding, are exemption categories also include “expert appraisal processes, public hearing, objections, safeguard provisions” related to food security.
Further to this, the note says, making district collector a sole authority to make enquiry to their satisfaction has led to a “dangerous trend to suppress people’s voices”, leading to “widespread corruption.”
Strongly supporting the Central Act -- Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 -- which “tried to address the historical injustice and made provisions to return unutilized land back to the people when it remained unutilized for more than five years”, the note says, “It also talked for fresh award if the compensation to majority of affected people not paid after declaration of award.”
However, it underlines, “In almost all state amendments, it is tried to either extend the period of making the acquisition void and changing the payment of compensation to beneficiaries by declaration of award and depositing the compensation with the court or the State treasury”, adding, “Andhra Pradesh and Telangana not only diluted the Central Act’s provisions, but also brought provisions of voluntary land acquisition under which they can enter into mutual agreement with landowners and payment of lumpsum amount to other affected persons for resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R).”
“Tamil Nadu has gone much ahead and brought fifth schedule to exclude land acquisition for industrial purposes in the state”, the note says, adding, it has, in fact, “silently brought out the exemption to the whole land acquisition for industrial purpose… It’s a complete denial of taking consent from people, providing R&R, participation of local bodies in approval and rejection of projects etc.”
Referring to Amravati, the new capital city for Andhra Pradesh, the note says, the state “has used this model for acquiring more than 12,200 hectares (ha) of prime agricultural land on the banks of River Krishna, only for core capital city which alone will displace more than 90,000 marginal farmers, lease holders, agricultural workers and other unorganized workers.”
“They comprise 80% of the total population. The remaining 20% landowners will get residential plots, commercial plots and yearly compensation. Later, the Capital Region will expand to 706,800 ha displacing more than 50 lakh people”, it adds.
The note says, in order to “ease the transfer of people’s land to corporates”, the amendments by states have given private negotiations “a further push”. Thus, “the limit of acquisition of land through private negotiation with owners of land in different states is alarmingly kept high in which the R&R will also not be applicable.”
Among important civil rights leaders who participated in the Delhi consultation included Hannan Mollah of the All-India Kisan Sabha, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, Sudha Bhardwaj of the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, top social and environmental activist Prafulla Samantara, Ashok Chaudhary of the All India Union of Forest Working People, and T Peter of the National Fishworkers’ Forum.

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Search This Blog