New Policy would make Land Acquisition Process by AP Govt less Cumbersome
The Andhra Pradesh state government has resorted to a novel method of including the farmers who part with their land during the land acquisition process of new projects by making them stakeholders in the development process. The government feels that this will be an effective method to combat the land acquisition issues that are hampering the progress of many projects.
Land acquisition for NIMZs:
The National Industrial Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs) will be planned with the motive of developing large industrial projects which will safeguard the interests of farmers as well. Already two NIMZs at Medak and Chittoor districts have been sanctioned by the government of India, while a third one in Prakasam district is awaiting approval. The proposed NIMZ at Medak has been allotted 12,365 acres of land, while the NIMZ at Chittoor has been sanctioned 23,000 acres.Many major projects in Hyderabad have been hampered due to land acquisition issues, with the farmers unwilling to part with their land in most cases. The government does not want the NIMZ projects, which will bring in a revenue of Rs.30,000 crore along with generation of about 3 lakh jobs, to get sabotaged due to land acquisition issues related to farmers land.
Array of compensation options for those effected:
Farmers have been given a range of options to choose from in exchange for the land acquired from them. One of the options before them is to become stakeholders in the companies investing in the NIMZ. The second option is to sell the land that the government wishes to acquires and get paid for it fully. The third option is to get paid a portion of the compensation and to take developed plots worth the remaining amount. The fourth options entails the farmers to opt for a permanent pension instead of being compensated for the land they part with. This initiative would enable the government to address two concerns simultaneously. Firstly, it will ensure that the farmers who have parted with their land will be guaranteed of a share of the wealth generated due to the formation of the NIMZ. Secondly, it will reduce the financial burden of the government in the land acquisition process.
Andhra Pradesh has been at the center of many protests by the local population, farmers and fishermen against the government’s decision of developing Special Economic Zones (SRZs) and power plants at the cost of forcibly acquiring agricultural land. Fishermen belonging to the wetlands of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh are fighting a continuing battle against the thermal plants that they feel are bound to destroy the last remaining wetlands in India, and thereby their main source of livelihood.
Govt’s prosperity sharing concept to benefit farmers:
Since land acquisition is a pressing issue for the government, it is adopting a consent method that will facilitate the farmer to negotiate a suitable price with the investors. According to one of the options available to the farmers, while they get paid for part of their land which goes towards the development of NIMZs, which are industrial townships, the compensation they get for the remaining part of their land as developed plots can be utilised for other non-industrial purposes. Besides, the farmers who get plots in these areas could benefit due to the presence of important facilities in the vicinity like residential areas, educational institutions, hospitals and other amenities.
While the state government will provide for the land and internal infrastructure of the NIMZs, the central government will take care of the external infrastructure like connectivity through road and rail, facilities for testing and quality development, training, and financial support by means of viability gap funding. With such a wide array of compensation options offered to farmers, the government is hoping to complete the land acquisition for the proposed NIMZ within a year based on the concept of prosperity sharing.
