Thaindian News

Panaji, May 9 (IANS) A comprehensive land acquisition policy where farmers are given satisfactory rates for their acquired lands is the only way in which agitations like the ones in Uttar Pradesh can be avoided, chairman of Goa’s Law Commission Ramakant Khalap said Monday.

Addressing reporters in Panaji after submitting his Land Settlement and Rehabilitation (LSR) policy to the state government, Khalap, who is also a former union minister of state for law, said the state cannot expect farmers to sit quietly when their lands were being acquired at throwaway prices for infrastructure projects.

“Farmers whose large tract of lands are acquired for projects like airports, industrial estates and others, should be paid adequate annuity for a considerable period of time,” Khalap said.

“If the state government accepts this report, then there will be no agitation or discord. In fact, it is so people friendly, that land owners themselves may voluntarily come forward to offer their lands to the government for public purposes,” Khalap said.

Large scale acquisition of land for the Yamuna Expressway project in Uttar Pradesh has triggered a string of violent protests by farmers in Greater Noida and Agra, who claim that the price offered to them was pittance.

“We must offer farmers adequate compensation for the land they have cared and nurtured for such a long time. We have, in fact, proposed that the compensation to them should not be less than the minimum land rates notified by the government for the particular area,” Khalap said.