NEW DELHI: Congress chief Ahmed Patel on Wednesday recommended Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect the rights of farmers and farm labourers whilst obtaining land in southern Gujarat for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet educate mission.
In a letter to the high minister, Patel said farmers' representatives had complained that rules and procedures below the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 weren't being adhered to whilst obtaining land for the mission.
He alleged that conferences were being conducted barely at an afternoon's notice, with out appropriate exposure, and this defeated the very function of the session procedure, the objective of which used to be to teach the farmers about the impact of the mission and their rights below the Act.
"It is extremely unfortunate that the Gujarat government is conducting this entire exercise under the diluted version of the 2013 Land Act, which, in effect, runs contrary to the law passed by Parliament," the Congress chief said in his letter.
He alleged that below the Gujarat government's rules, the need for mandatory consent of farmers and a social impact assessment were carried out away with.
The essence of a farmer's proper to his or her land, as consistent with the 2013 legislation, rested at the two pillars of consent and an impact assessment file, Patel pointed out.
"By doing away with these processes, I am afraid that the entire land acquisition process may descend down to a mere tokenism," the Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat said.
Patel alleged that the rights of farmers and farm labourers over agricultural land were "trampled upon" by large and powerful interests and therefore, he added that Parliament had entrusted the Executive to protect the rights of farmers and farm labourers by means of the 2013 Land Act.
"Given that this project is being conducted under the mandate of the central government, I request you to ensure that the 2013 Land Act is implemented in letter and spirit for the said acquisition. Any deviation from the 2013 Land Act will result in grave injustice to the farmers and farm labourers of Gujarat," the Congress chief said.
"Our objective is not to obstruct the project the government is undertaking. But in the process of building a bullet train, we cannot bulldoze the constitutional rights of farmers. I sincerely hope you will have the matter examined and the needful will be done at the earliest," he added.
Patel pointed out that the land acquisition procedure used to be initiated by the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet educate mission. PTI SKC RC RC 05021856 NNNN
In a letter to the high minister, Patel said farmers' representatives had complained that rules and procedures below the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 weren't being adhered to whilst obtaining land for the mission.
He alleged that conferences were being conducted barely at an afternoon's notice, with out appropriate exposure, and this defeated the very function of the session procedure, the objective of which used to be to teach the farmers about the impact of the mission and their rights below the Act.
"It is extremely unfortunate that the Gujarat government is conducting this entire exercise under the diluted version of the 2013 Land Act, which, in effect, runs contrary to the law passed by Parliament," the Congress chief said in his letter.
He alleged that below the Gujarat government's rules, the need for mandatory consent of farmers and a social impact assessment were carried out away with.
The essence of a farmer's proper to his or her land, as consistent with the 2013 legislation, rested at the two pillars of consent and an impact assessment file, Patel pointed out.
"By doing away with these processes, I am afraid that the entire land acquisition process may descend down to a mere tokenism," the Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat said.
Patel alleged that the rights of farmers and farm labourers over agricultural land were "trampled upon" by large and powerful interests and therefore, he added that Parliament had entrusted the Executive to protect the rights of farmers and farm labourers by means of the 2013 Land Act.
"Given that this project is being conducted under the mandate of the central government, I request you to ensure that the 2013 Land Act is implemented in letter and spirit for the said acquisition. Any deviation from the 2013 Land Act will result in grave injustice to the farmers and farm labourers of Gujarat," the Congress chief said.
"Our objective is not to obstruct the project the government is undertaking. But in the process of building a bullet train, we cannot bulldoze the constitutional rights of farmers. I sincerely hope you will have the matter examined and the needful will be done at the earliest," he added.
Patel pointed out that the land acquisition procedure used to be initiated by the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet educate mission. PTI SKC RC RC 05021856 NNNN
Protect farmers' rights under Land Act for bullet train: Ahmed Patel to PM Narendra Modi
![Protect farmers' rights under Land Act for bullet train: Ahmed Patel to PM Narendra Modi]()
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May 02, 2018
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