The Odisha government has tabled a
bill in the assembly on March 23rd to do away with the practice of holding
Social impact assessments before acquiring land for various projects, including
those “vital to national security”, as per the Centre’s guidelines.
Odisha is not the first state to introduce such amendments in
the central Act. Telangana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand
have also amended the provisions of the central Act to exempt developmental
projects from the purview of SIA and public hearing.
The Right to Fair Compensation and
Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Odisha
Amendment) Bill 2023 seeks to amend the Centre’s Right to Fair Compensation and
Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013,
whose section 4 mandates the conduct of SIA before the process of land
acquisition.
Introducing the bill in the Odisha
Assembly, the state Revenue Minister Pramilla Mallick said the state
government, through the Make in Odisha initiatives, intends to attract private
investment in mega projects across sectors and subsequently fast track the
process of development.
Providing land to the project proponent in a hassle free way is
one of the basic requirements of industrial and infrastructure development and acquisition of private land under the central law has
remained a major challenge for the state government.
To broad base the industrial ecosystem for
faster industrial promotion for employment generation and all-round economic
development of the state, a taskforce was constituted under the chairmanship of
additional chief secretary revenue and disaster management department to
suggest necessary changes in existing land laws and procedures for facilitating
smooth transfer of land for the industrial projects,” Mallick said.
Mr.Mallick said the proposed amendment of the state government
would do away with application of two chapters in the Central Act – social impact assessment and bar in acquiring irrigated
multi-cropped land – for projects vital to national security or defense of the
country, infrastructure projects, including educational institutions, health
infrastructure, government offices, electrification, irrigation projects and
drinking water projects, affordable housing and housing for poor people,
industrial corridors set up by the state government and its undertakings and
all linear projects, like state highways and national highways.