By: Navin M 
Raheja, President, NAREDCO
Redefining Public purpose, as suggest by Parliamentary Committee, will impact infrastructure, industrial and township development severely.
Provisions of LA and R&R Bill should not apply to private acquisitions done by developers after direct negotiation with land owners/farmers. Privately negotiated prices, in almost all cases, are much higher than acquisition compensation suggested in the bill.
20% of developed land going back to owner is part of the LA and R&R bill, which will make township development difficult.
In case of township development, developer severs its link after completing the project, unlike industries. Implementation of R&R will be difficult.
Ceiling of 50 acres for urban and 100 acres for rural, beyond which LA and R&R will apply, will in all probabilities be lowered by States, if power to reset ceiling is vested in them.
Land for residential uses of weaker sections was included in “Public Purpose” according to LA and R&R bill. Its exclusion will severely impact the housing supply of this category.
Putting all land under agricultural cultivation in the same bracket as multi cropped land will make land acquisition for township more difficult. As it is, the ceiling of 5% on multi cropped land acquisition in a district was difficult to follow, taking acquisitions for all purposes together into consideration.
