It’s unfortunate developmental work across the country has almost come to standstill mostly due to land acquisition problem. In most of the cases land owners refuse to part with their land.Singur and Nandigram have shown the way. But alternative way of acquiring land is still to come up. Revised land acquisition bill has found its room in the cold storage due to Didi’s dissent. All political parties claim land can’t be acquired against the will of the land owners. The owner must agree on his own or he might be made to agree by persuasion to part his land.’ Coercion’ is the forbidden and the most dirty word in case of land acquisition. They’ve seen what havoc ‘coercion’ could wreak in Bengal. It might at least partially contribute to the cause of down fall of 34years old rule of the Left Front government in the event such apprehension comes true. What’s interesting and unfortunate too, no body in any political party dares say land can’t be procured only by persuasion alone.Persuasion might work in case of small amount of land but it can’t work when vast quantum of land is necessary. At least some of the land owners must object to giving away their land for emotional or political reasons so that entire acquisition deal would come a cropper. So the process that envisages land is to be procured by bringing in change in the mindset of the land owner is almost a utopia.
So for all practical purposes the land acquisition bill must incorporate a clause where in the land owner should be obliged to part with his land for use in public interest and he’ll be adequately compensated for loss of land. The package of compensation must be such that the land loser never feels he has been any way deprived. In case of land transfer for any constructions by private management that would serve public interest or help employment generation, government must serve as mediators to see no underhand deal or malpractices take place in purchase of land.
Element of coercion will always be present in any amendment to the Land Acquisition Act now in vogue in our country.So some sort of psychological comfort and consolation should be there to assuage the landowners to feel that he is not forced to part with his land. Since attachment to land to the actual cultivator or people solely dependent on land is so intense that it takes years of 'persuasion' to achieve the goal. But any work in the interest of public has to be programmed on a suitable time frame, which brooks no inordinate delay. So land is to be acquired. Of course due consideration is to be given to ensuring food security of the country.COMPENSATION must have to be adequate enough for the land losers to sustain themselves.Alternative means of livelihood must have to be arranged and where necessary proper training and alternative employment ensured. This may not work always if the determined politicians are always up in arms to block any attempt by the Govt going for progress and development.That unfortunately happened in Singur. Most of the landowners accepted and received compensation out of 996 acres, while owners of 232 acres could not receive or refused to accept compensation money -quite a number of them could not because of dispute and problems amongst shareholders.Ultimately violent agitation by the opposition parties led by TMC drove away the unique car project nearing completion. That's a novel experience in Bengal only.Ruling party and the opposition HEARTILY WELCOMED the relocation of the NANO project in Gujarat.Unfortunately hypocrites posing as politicians only just eager and bent on grabbing power by any means if required foulest, rule the roost. They have been able so far to move the people to a considerable extent towards them. People seldom bother to ascertain truth if could be swayed with emotion. So the Goebbels are bent on harvesting the maximum benefits. So till then should our 'golden' Bengal weep and be ready for the despicable scenario likely to unfold in the near future!
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