A day after the Lok Sabha passed the landmark Land Acquisition Bill, Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said on Friday that such a law should not be needed after 25 years, when private entities should be able to directly buy land from their owners. The minister also credited the Mamata Banerjee-led Singur agitation in West Bengal for highlighting the need to compensate land or livelihood losers adequately in cases of land acquisition, which is a part of the law for the first time.
While the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill is likely to come in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Mr Ramesh is learnt to be making overtures to senior Opposition leaders to ensure it sails through smoothly. He said he foresees that in the next 20 to 25 years land records would be such that there wouldn’t be any need for the government to be involved in land acquisition, and private parties could deal directly with the owners.
The minister acknowledged that acquisition of land will get more expensive once the new law comes into force. “The cost will definitely go up, but only a few people will be paying more money, while it will benefit a large number of people,” he said on Friday.