EAS Sarma Asks Prez Not To Give Assent To AP’s Amendments To Land Acquisition Act

Environmental activist and former secretary to the Government of India, EAS Sarma appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind not to give assent to the proposed amendments being brought in by the the Andhra Pradesh Government to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (Act No. 30 of 2013).

In a letter to the President, Sarma said the hastily moved amendment will reduce the choices of the property owners, abridge their rights against the spirit of the Constitution and, in the long run, lead to widespread public dissatisfaction and avoidable conflict situations. He said the proposed Bill will do away with the need to conduct a Social Impact Assessment and the need to obtain the prior consent of the affected community, before deciding on the location of a project and going ahead with land acquisition.

Apparently, the State wishes to enact the amending law in haste without a wider public discussion on the deviations with respect to the 2013 Act. Instead of adopting an inclusive approach, the State is in a hurry to adopt an approach that excludes wider public consultation on acquisition, to favour the industry at the cost of the voiceless millions who eke out their livelihoods from land.

He further pointed out that the State government cannot erode the basic concepts of the 2013 Act while enacting its own law. At the most, the State can only improve upon the provisions of the 2013 Act from the point of view of the property owner.

it may be recalled that the Andhra Pradesh government has formulated a Bill on the subject, proposing several far-reaching amendments to the core concepts of the 2013 Act. The State government has recently obtained the State legislature's endorsement. EAS Sarma points out that the Bill is not based on any public consultation.

"Apparently, the State wishes to enact the amending law in haste without a wider public discussion on the deviations with respect to the 2013 Act. Instead of adopting an inclusive approach, the State seems to be in a hurry to adopt an approach that excludes wider public consultation on acquisition, to favour the industry at the cost of the voiceless millions who eke out their livelihoods from land," he said while requesting the President not to give his nod to the bill.