NAGPUR, DECEMBER 13: There is a glimmer of hope for those displaced or uprooted from their original habitat due to developmental projects undertaken by the government.Non-government organisations (NGOs), led by the National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR), have prepared a draft alternative to the Land Acquisition Bill of 1998 to ensure due compensation for project affected persons (PAPs).A committee with Sharad Kulkarni of the Centre for Conscientization, Pune, as its head, has been set up earlier to prepare the draft alternative to the bill. The committee in its last meeting on drafting provisions of the alternative bill, which was named `Land acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill'.The NGOs have also drawn up strategies for a national campaign to make the government accept the alternative bill and ensure that the progressive features are retained. Accordingly, the copies of the alternate bill, to begin with, are being presented to 100 selected MPs, bureaucrats,ministers etc., to make them understand the provisions of the bill.MPs will be urged to force the government to hold a debate on the land acquisition bill. A nation-wide postcard campaign has also been launched by the NCPNR, whereby millions of cards will be dashed off to the government in the next few months, urging it to look carefully into the various provisions of the alternate bill.Talking to The Indian Express, S R Hiremath, president of NCPNR said, ``The land acquisition draft bill had been approved by the Cabinet in 1998 itself but could not be introduced in the winter session of Parliament last year due to stiff opposition from different quarters in the country. The Union Ministry of Rural Development then held a meeting with the representatives of the NGOs in Delhi to consider amendments required in the bill.''Expressing their opposition to the bill drafted by the government, NGOs said there was no provision in it to resettle and rehabilitate PAPs. The purpose for acquiring land wasalso not clearly defined. There was little scope to question the land acquisition process and hasten the process of acquisition. The alternate bill has addressed these problems, the NGOs claimed.In 1998, the Vajpayee government had constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of K C Pant, the then Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission to look into the ticklish issue. Later, Pant held a meeting with the NCPNR and others and it was decided to constitute a committee under Shard Kulkarni to draft an alternative bill.According to the alternate bill, Hiremath explained, the concept of `eminent domain' which made the government owner of all property, especially immovable property in the country, would be changed to trusteeship.
