New Delhi: A Group of Ministers (GoM) formed to examine certain provisions of the controversial Land Acquisition Bill met in New Delhi on Thursday but no decisions were taken in the meeting. "We will decide next time. This week, I am going to Vietnam and I will be back on October 4. After that, we will meet. Three members gave their views. No decision happened today," Agriculture Minister and GoM...
09:20 PM, Sep 27, 2012
New Delhi: A Group of Ministers, headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, is likely to meet on Thursday to examine certain provisions of the controversial Land Acquisition Bill. "The meeting of the GoM on Land Acquisition Bill is scheduled for Thursday evening," according to sources. The GoM is likely be held amid political turmoil in Maharashtra, where Pawar's nephew and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has resigned following reports of...
07:29 AM, Sep 27, 2012
Noida: There was stone pelting in Greater Noida's Haibatpur village on Monday after Noida authority workers and police entered the village for land acquisition. The acquisition was for the FNG (Faridabad Noida Ghaziabad) highway. The police say it is a case of minor stone pelting and the situation is under control. Earlier on Sunday, farmers in Noida Extension held a protest and stopped construction work at private builders site, demanding...
01:45 PM, Sep 10, 2012
New Delhi: The Cabinet will meeting on Tuesday and may approve a new proposal to increase reservation for women in urban local bodies to 50 per cent. It currently stands at one-third. The proposal also suggests that the chairperson's post be decided on the basis of proportional representation. The Cabinet is also expected to take up the Land Acquisition bill. The revised bill aims at ensuring that the process of...
08:41 AM, Aug 28, 2012
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minster Mamata Banerjee on Friday claimed the Singur land acquisition law framed by her government was 'valid'. "Singur law is valid and we are happy at the Supreme Court order," Banerjee said at the airport after returning here from Delhi. "This is a victory of the farmers and the victory of Ma-Mati-Manush (mother-earth-humanity)," she said after the Supreme Court sought the Tata Motors' response on a...
05:32 AM, Aug 25, 2012
New Delhi: Major changes are expected in the Land Acquisition Bill and compensation for land acquired won't be implemented with retrospective effect. The changes mean that those who have already given up land won't benefit if the Bill is passed by Parliament and becomes a law. Real estate companies and state government will be relieved with the change as they will be spared the huge financial burden. Several state governments...
04:19 PM, Aug 23, 2012
New Delhi: West Bengal government on Monday approached Supreme Court challenging Calcutta High Court order which set aside Singur land acquisition act. The state government in its appeal says Singur act reflects the will of the people. "Singur Act is not in conflict with any central laws," it says. ...
08:42 PM, Aug 06, 2012
New Delhi: In a step that could propel reforms on fast track, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday approved relaxations in the transfer policy for the government land for infrastructure projects. All land transfer from ministries to PSUs has also been allowed. This will now ensure that there is no procedural delay in acquiring government-owned land for infrastructure projects. There will be no Cabinet approval required for transfer of government-owned...
01:09 PM, Aug 02, 2012
Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has defended his decision to retain a role for the government in land acquisition for Public Private Partnerships. "If you are going to leave everything to private purchase it is the small land owner and livelihood losers who are going to be badly affected," he says. CNN-IBN spoke to him regarding the matter. Rupashree Nanda: You have turned down certain important recommendations of the...
01:44 PM, Jul 19, 2012
New Delhi: The government has overruled the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Land Rehabilitation in the Land Acquisition Bill that is set to be tabled in Parliament. The government has now said that it can acquire land for public-private projects, taking a line that sharply contrasts that of Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee. In what could be a setback to projects in Noida Extension and Bhatta Parsaul in Greater Noida,...
01:35 PM, Jul 07, 2012
Passing through Bulandshahar, a rapidly urbanising district in Uttar Pradesh known for its rustic politics and dairying, this reporter chanced upon a group of farmers sitting in protest outside a newly constructed apartment. The farmers occupied a tent that was erected outside the apartment complex. Their complaint was that they were being coerced to sell land for cheap by private players. "We will get only a measly Rs 20 lakh...
03:28 PM, Jun 19, 2012
Allahabad: In yet another indictment of land acquisition policy of previous Mayawati government, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday quashed acquisition of 68 hectares of village land on pretext of "planned industrial development" in Greater Noida and held that invoking of urgency clause for the purpose was "tainted with malafides". A Division Bench comprising justices Sunil Ambwani and Het Singh Yadav passed the order on a writ petition filed by...
08:12 PM, May 30, 2012
Allahabad: Acquisition of land in yet another village of Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh was on Friday set aside by the Allahabad High Court. A Division Bench comprising justices Sunil Ambwani and Aditya Nath Mittal while asking the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) to "return the land" in Surajpur village under Dadri Pargana of the district to the petitioners, also ruled that they shall be "entitled to...
08:13 PM, May 25, 2012
In forty-four months, the standing committees of Parliament which examined the land acquisition bills have done an about turn on the issue of the state ...
06:17 PM, May 22, 2012
New Delhi: As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi get ready to present their report card for the UPA-II's third year, it seems there would not be much to celebrate. It has been a year of controversies for the UPA-II... attacks, couter-attacks... angry and sulking allies... and finally defeat. The fact that the PMO had to send repeated reminders to ministers to send their list of achievements...
07:29 AM, May 21, 2012
New Delhi: The Standing Committee's report on land acquisition has been slammed by India Incorporate. This came after the committee insisted that land acquisition by the government can only be done for infrastructure and social projects and not for private profit. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President Adi Godrej said, "The Standing Committee report on land will adversely affect the manufacturing sector as it doesn't factor in industry needs. The...
07:33 AM, May 18, 2012
Shah Rukh Khan gets into a scuffle with MCA officials at Wankhede stadium. Panel suggests new land acquisition policy. ...
11:25 PM, May 17, 2012
The Standing Committee report is being seen as bad news for industrialists while it insists on public welfare as a yardstick for land acquisition. ...
10:35 PM, May 17, 2012
The government has decided to bring in the Lokpal bill in Rajya Sabha on Monday despite opposition from parties like the JD(U) and the RJD. ...
10:24 PM, May 17, 2012
New Delhi: The Standing Committee report on land acquisition is bad news for the corporates. It insists that land acquisition by the government can only be done for social projects and not for private-public partnership. The bill is aimed at protecting farmers and landowners from exploitation. The Uttar Pradesh government has already objected to it while industrialists worry that this would close their options. Will this be the end of...
08:56 PM, May 17, 2012
